Precious Things
by Nokito-chan
Summary: *Back by popular demand, revised and summary updated* The less Neji knows the safer he will be. But the cost of his safety turns out to be his love and Tenten finds it is the one price she isn't willing to pay. Naruto-verse AU. Established NejiTen.
1. Chapter 1

_**a/n: I started this story a couple of years ago but abandoned it after being more than three-quarters of the way through – a decision I've been regretting ever since even though I didn't take it lightly. Many readers have contacted me about Precious Things since and I've never really stopped feeling guilty about it … so, I eventually decided to resurrect this one ^^ I am definitely going to try to finish it this time (I always knew exactly what had to happen I just didn't have any enthusiasm left for it). That being said, please bear in mind that I've started a few other projects that will be taking precedence over PT. However, I have around 14 chapters already written, they just need editing, so updates for this one shouldn't be too long in coming.**_

_**Dedication: To all those reviewers who showed such wonderful support and requested a resurrection of Precious Things. I hope that you'll enjoy the revised (and hopefully, eventually, finished) product!**_

_**Warnings: Very slight smuttiness**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters used in this story**_

* * *

_**Precious Things**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

Tenten sighed as she twirled a kunai idly from hand to hand. This had to be the most boring mission she'd ever been assigned to in her entire time as an active shinobi. She glanced across the fire and her gaze collided with Neji's stern one. She quickly looked away, slipping her kunai into its hidden pouch with barely perceptible movements.

_How much longer? _She wondered if it was possible to really die from boredom. They'd been hired to escort a young couple to their new home –the two had married without their parents' consent and were sure that they would be attacked and forcibly separated. How this translated into an A-rank mission Tenten had no idea, but she and Neji had been available, and Tsunade-sama had obviously felt that since they were being paid for an A-rank mission – no matter how ridiculous –an experienced jounin was required. Enter Neji. He'd chosen her for his partner, but mostly Tenten suspected Tsunade had allowed him to choose another jounin to accompany him to save Neji from losing his mind.

Supposedly the mission would end as soon as the two they were escorting were in their new home with their marriage safely consummated – they apparently thought that would be enough to deter their parents. Tenten snorted indelicately, it really was ridiculous – it wasn't even properly a D-rank mission – the only reason she could think of for Tsunade to have accepted it was that the amount of money being offered was too much to turn down. There couldn't be any other reason she'd agree to treat this farce as an A-rank mission.

She shot another glance at Neji – so far she'd wasted two weeks of her life on this lunacy – and she vowed that one day she would get him back for this. Not only did they have quite a distance to travel – and in the winter – but they also had to put up with two hormonal, spoilt, teenaged newly-weds.

At least the end was finally in sight – they'd reached the couple's home earlier in the day. Tenten shivered slightly, and moved closer to the fire. For the sake of their sanity, Neji and Tenten had come to a silent agreement to set up a vigil outside the small cottage for the night – but the distance didn't do much to stifle the moans of pleasure that drifted through the otherwise quiet night.

"Vocal much?" Tenten muttered, a slight blush on her cheeks, when a particularly loud moan split the night air.

Across from her Neji replied, "Don't begrudge our clients their … er … pleasure, Tenten. It means we finally get to leave."

She inclined her head slightly; that was entirely true, and the only bright spot besides, but Tenten couldn't help staring at Neji in amazement. He looked completely at ease, unfazed, and not in the least embarrassed. _How is he doing that? _She couldn't help but wonder at how Neji didn't even show the slightest reaction – no matter what screams or sounds rent the night – and there had been a few screamed phrases that had had Tenten blushing to the roots of her hair.

"Doesn't it bother you?" she finally voiced her curiosity, and moved to his side of the fire, so they could talk easily. It sounded to her as if the marriage was well and truly consummated and therefore she didn't think she needed to sit like a silent sentinel any longer.

"Doesn't what bother me?" Neji asked, glancing from her to the house where the screams seemed to be reaching their peak, and shrugged slightly, as if he, too, didn't think it necessary to remain on guard any more.

Tenten jerked her head at the cottage, "That. Not to mention I've seen a few things on this journey that I could've lived without. Doesn't it embarrass you even a little? It's like listening to a porn soundtrack out here!"

Neji smirked slightly, "The trick is to focus on something else, Tenten. For example, I run through the various stances of the Jyuuken fighting style, instead of paying them actual attention," he turned his head slightly to fix her with a curious gaze in return, "Why does it bother you so much?"

Tenten shook her head in agitation, "It just does – I guess I'm just not an exhibitionist and I don't particularly appreciate that quality in other people." She shifted uncomfortably when Neji's scrutiny didn't let up – if anything his gaze intensified. She turned her head away, avoiding his piercing eyes, and pretended to stare at the stars instead. After a moment of, blessed, silence (maybe the other two were finally done) she heard Neji shifting, and her head jerked back around when she felt his warm breath on the soft skin just behind her ear, and her eyes widened.

Neji was hovering over her, his eyes glinting silver in the firelight, "Or maybe it's just that after two weeks of being subjected to a free show, you're so irritable because you're frustrated," he whispered into her ear before his tongue flicked out to taste the soft skin of her neck.

Involuntarily, Tenten's eyes slid closed, and she felt her body coming alive from that one small touch. Then she gathered herself firmly and pushed Neji back. Glaring up at him, she said, "I thought we agreed that mixing business and pleasure was a bad idea?"

He inclined his head slightly, but moved forward, crawling over her, until she had no choice but to lie back on the sleeping bag he'd spread on the ground. "We did – but this particular mission has ended, if you ask me, and I've also been subjected to a free show for the last fortnight, so I think I'll risk our erstwhile clients finding us in a compromising situation – not that that's likely – I doubt they'll be surfacing any time soon."

As if on cue, the moans started back up again, and Neji groaned as he dropped down next to Tenten, an arm over his eyes, "Then again, I don't particularly relish the idea of _that _for background music."

Tenten laughed and rolled over onto her side, propping her head on her hand, "No," she agreed, leaning over to press a light kiss to the underside of his jaw.

Neji groaned again, and then, with a long-suffering sigh, he drew the blanket over both of them, and pulled Tenten securely into his arms, allowing her to use his shoulder as a pillow. "Sleep, Tenten. Maybe morning will come quicker that way."

She stifled her smile in his shoulder and cuddled closer – more than anything she'd missed the closeness of his body in the night. Two weeks of sleeping across from a campfire – so close and yet so far – had been sheer torture.

She yawned and, just before sleep claimed her, she whispered, "Neji, I can't wait either." She sensed his smile, and closed her eyes contentedly when he stroked softly over her hair.

"Soon – for now, sleep."

* * *

By the time the young couple stuck their heads around the front door the next morning, Tenten was ready to beat both of them to a pulp. They'd been packed and ready to go for hours now, but they'd had to wait for their clients to officially see them off before the mission could be considered completed. Thankfully Neji was as composed as ever and she left the goodbyes and the thank you's to him.

When they finally rounded the bend in the road that led up to the cottage, and entered the town proper, Tenten breathed a sigh of relief. Skipping slightly ahead, she turned around and walked backward in front of Neji, "So, now what, oh great leader?"

Neji frowned at her teasing but couldn't hide the slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and Tenten flashed him a happy grin in return.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "We go home, of course."

She placed a hand on his chest, effectively causing him to come to a halt, and smiled mischievously up at him, "But don't you think we deserve a mini-vacation first? There's a hot springs resort just outside of the town – remember? We passed it on our way in…" she let her words trail away suggestively, staring up at him through lowered lashes.

He didn't reply but grabbed her hand and started off down the road at a brisk pace, pulling Tenten along behind him. She giggled softly into her hand – clearly he liked the idea as much as she did.

* * *

They barely made it into their room before Neji pushed Tenten up against the door, his mouth slanting over hers in kiss after desperate kiss, his hands pulling frantically at her clothes. Tenten sighed into his mouth blissfully as she arched her body against his and wound her arms around his neck, pressing as close to him as she could. He growled low in his throat, his hands trailing possessively down her back, briefly cupping her rear before he lifted her and Tenten wound her legs around his waist. He turned and walked to the bed, laying her down gently before pulling his shirt over his head. Apparently that was all he had the patience for because, in the next instant, he was hovering over her again and devouring her mouth like a starving man suddenly presented with a five course banquet.

Tenten wasn't quite sure when or how their clothes were removed – she was too focused on the sensations Neji's insistent hands were creating in her body – but suddenly she was burning up. She felt shivery, achy … needy. As if he'd read her mind, as if he knew she'd reached the absolute end of what she could endure, Neji entered her in one swift thrust. Their mingled groans rang through the room, but then Neji was moving, and Tenten forgot about anything but the tide of pleasure racing to engulf her.

Much later, Tenten lay quietly, watching a sleeping Neji, their limbs still entwined, and the sheets twisted around their bodies. She reached over and smoothed a strand of long hair away from his forehead, her fingers tracing lightly over the marks of the curse seal.

She trailed her fingers lower, lightly brushing over his nose, his cheekbones, before tracing the shape of his full mouth. The first time he'd kissed her they'd been fourteen years old. She could still recall the exact sensation of mingled shock and pleasure, as electricity raced between them. Throughout the rest of that night she'd reflected on how lucky she was – had hugged the knowledge that _Neji _wanted _her_ to herself like a teddy bear.

The next morning he'd been gone – chasing after Sasuke. And he'd returned more dead than alive. Tenten couldn't suppress the slight shiver as she remembered the dark hours that she and Hiashi-sama had spent outside the operating theatre, waiting to hear if Neji would live. But he'd pulled through, and as soon as he'd left the hospital, he'd made her a promise: that he'd always come back to her, if she would have him.

Even now, years later, Tenten still felt weak in the knees when she recalled that heartfelt, if somewhat awkward, conversation. She'd never known Neji had such depth of feeling locked behind his stoic gaze, but, through the years, she'd learned many things about him, had seen many different sides to him, and, she still couldn't help but revel in the knowledge that she was the only one who saw the softer, more human - and less Hyuuga - side of him. Her hand trailed down the strong column of his throat, over his chest, to finally trace patterns on the lines formed by his abdominal muscles.

The first time he'd made love to her, they'd been sixteen, and so in love that Tenten sometimes thought she would die from the sheer strength of feeling. They'd returned from the emotionally and physically draining mission to Suna with Team Kakashi, and, she didn't know how or why, but something had changed between them on that mission. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they'd nearly died when facing that shark-like Akatsuki member before Neji had managed to break out of the water prison, but, whatever it had been, it had brought them closer than before. The deeper emotional bond had flowed naturally into a deeper physical bond, and since then, they never spent the night apart unless they were on missions, together or separately.

It continually amazed Tenten how few people picked up on the fact that she and Neji were involved – and had been for the last six years. Early on they'd decided that they couldn't afford distractions while on missions and so they'd agreed to treat each other simply as teammates when sent out of the village, but that aside, they'd never gone to any trouble to try and hide their relationship. Hiashi knew, of course, as did Lee and Gai-sensei, but they'd all accepted it wordlessly, as if it hadn't been any great surprise and Tenten had never felt the need to examine their thoughts on the topic.

She shook her head to get rid of the past, and snuggled closer to Neji's warm body, allowing sleep to claim her too. She never slept well unless Neji was beside her, and she had two weeks' worth of disturbed nights to make up for.

* * *

Neji woke up late in the afternoon to find Tenten draped over him, the covers pushed down to her knees. With amusement he noted that he'd managed to hang on to his side of the comforter – it was still pulled up around his waist. He quickly threw it over Tenten too – it never failed to make him smile: in the winter she was always so cold that she would sleep practically on top of him, but the body heat inevitably warmed her too much and then she would kick the covers off. Meaning that he'd woken up more times than he cared to count with Tenten literally on top of him, his body numb from supporting her motionless weight for so long without stirring. He smiled as he shifted slightly to lay Tenten's head on the pillow, letting her body slide off of him to rest on the mattress. It also still amazed him that he didn't mind – he somehow found it endearing.

Slowly he shook his head. Sometimes he thought that, when his hormones had kicked in at fourteen and he'd kissed Tenten for the first time, he must've traded his brain cells for his libido. Almost thoughtfully he allowed his hands to trail over her naked skin beneath the covers, satisfaction evident in his smirk when she responded, unconsciously arching her back to allow him better access to the soft curves of her upper body. Neji sighed, truth be told, he'd sacrifice those brain cells any day of the week if it meant he could be with Tenten like this.

He regretfully drew his hands from her body and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, her eyelids softly, until she sleepily glared up at him. "If we want to use the hot springs we should get going," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips until he felt her mouth curve in a smile.

The rest of the evening was spent in companionable near silence – they knew each other so well by now that they communicated perfectly without words. They each had a long soak in the hot springs before enjoying a leisurely dinner in front of a roaring fire.

At last they returned to their still unmade bed, and Neji couldn't help but think that fate had repaid him ten-fold for the pain of his early childhood when it had given him Tenten, as he lost himself again and again in the soft warmth of her body.

* * *

The return journey was completed in five days, but nonetheless Tenten was very glad to enter Konoha's gates again – sleeping on the hard ground in the winter was not her idea of a good time. They headed directly for the Hokage's office, intent on giving their mission reports so that they could go home.

Tsunade heard their reports – given in varying tones of outrage and accusation on Tenten's part– with a hidden smile before she sent them away, saying that a written report from each of them had to be on her desk by the next morning. She couldn't contain the chuckle when she imagined the kind of report she would be getting from Tenten – hell, she had to do what she could to wring some enjoyment out of the tedious paperwork involved in being Hokage.

Neji and Tenten had barely left the office before a young genin boy ran up to Neji, panting slightly. His eyes proclaimed him a Hyuuga and Tenten felt her heart sink into her shoes – this had to be a summons from his uncle.

Sure enough the boy bowed slightly and said, "Neji-san, Hiashi-sama has requested that you attend him urgently as soon as you are at leisure."

Neji nodded, "I will come right away. Run ahead and tell Hiashi-sama." The boy ran off, and Neji turned to Tenten grimacing apologetically.

She waved a hand, "Go, I'll see you later."

Neji squeezed her hand briefly – he had ever been a private person who didn't relish public displays of affection – and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Tenten stared at the spot he'd been in for a few moments longer before she sighed and left in the same way.

* * *

Hours later Tenten jumped in shock when the front door of her apartment flew open to hit the wall with a bang. She'd been reading on the couch, and had never even heard Neji's key in the lock, but one look at his face assured her that the meeting with Hiashi had not been to his liking.

She laid the book aside while Neji locked the door again – officially he still resided in the Hyuuga compound – but for all intents and purposes he shared her apartment, and it was here that he referred to when he spoke of "home".

"Hi," she said hesitantly.

"Hn." Neji grunted in reply, slamming his way into the bathroom.

Tenten sighed when she heard the water running – he was obviously taking a shower, but she was damned curious now and decided to brave his foul mood.

She entered the bathroom softly, and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, staring at Neji's silhouette behind the foggy glass of the shower. "So, what did Hiashi-sama want?" she asked loudly, over the sound of the running water. Neji ignored her. She decided that she _really _wanted to know, and slowly pulled the old sweatshirt she'd been wearing over her head before shimmying out of the matching pants.

Wearing only her underwear she walked forward and opened the shower door, and quickly slipped inside. Neji turned to glare at her, but she returned his gaze innocently and he went back to ignoring her. Tenten reached for the shampoo and began to work the lather into Neji's hair – it never failed to calm him.

After a long moment Neji sighed and drew her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head, "He wanted to discuss my "future" and to ask why I haven't been inducted into ANBU yet. He wasn't happy when I told him I hadn't joined yet because I haven't applied. That led to a few choice phrases about how I was wasting my life and my talent and shaming the proud name of the Hyuuga. Happy now?"

Tenten stayed silent as she turned him around and began to rinse his hair under the spray, softly massaging his scalp. Neji closed his eyes and the lines of tension around his eyes began to fade, and Tenten moved until she was standing in front of him again.

She began kissing her way down his chest, "Shall I kiss it better?" she murmured against his wet skin, sinking to her knees and letting her mouth move over his stomach. Neji's body shook beneath her touch and he leaned back against the shower wall, trembling hands stroking over her hair before he tangled his fingers in the long wet locks.

"Please do," he muttered closing his eyes, and forgetting all about his uncle as he focused on Tenten's mouth and her tongue, and what she was doing with them.

* * *

The next few weeks passed peaceably enough – it seemed Tsunade had been feeling generous in the aftermath of that excuse for a mission she'd sent them on – and both Neji and Tenten were only assigned one-day missions, which meant that they actually got to spend some time together every evening.

Tenten was ecstatic and yet suspicious – no way was this going to last and she had the sinking feeling that she didn't want to be around when their normal lives finally resumed with the inevitable bang. She had no idea why, but for the past few days she'd been feeling … off. Not sick, just not … right. As if she was getting sick, only it never seemed to come to a head.

She rolled out of bed, feeling thick and fuzzy and she was thankful that Tsunade hadn't assigned her any missions that day. She felt sort of drained, as if it was too much effort to even lift her arms. As soon as she was upright the world began tilting crazily as the nausea rose in her throat and Tenten barely made it to the bathroom in time.

When Neji returned home at lunch time he found Tenten lying on the bathroom floor, next to the toilet still looking faintly green around the gills. "What's wrong?" he asked in alarm, dropping down beside her to stroke sweaty bangs off her forehead.

"Must've eaten something funny," she whispered, smiling weakly.

Neji frowned, if it had been something she ate, then why wasn't he ill, too? They'd been sharing all their meals, and he didn't seem to be adversely affected. No, he feared it was more serious than that, the last few days Tenten had been looking rather listless, and she hadn't been sleeping well: tossing and turning, muttering in her sleep, and more than once, he'd held her through the throws of a nightmare that she could not recall the next day.

He placed a cool hand on her forehead but she didn't seem to be running a fever so he quickly headed for the sink and wetted a washcloth, for her to wash her face with. He left her briefly to make a cup of weak tea, and after she'd forced the tea and a piece of dry toast down, he was finally satisfied, and even Tenten had to admit that she felt better.

Neji helped her back to bed, and hovered over her for the rest of the day, no matter how often she insisted that she felt much better and that she was sure it was only one of those twenty-four hour bugs. He couldn't shake the concern – something was wrong with Tenten, he was sure of it.

* * *

_**a/n: Only minor changes made to this first chapter but let me know if you're interested in chapter 2 ^^**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**a/n: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed a second time ^^ To the newcomers: welcome and I hope that you enjoy the story. Please consider taking just a minute of your time to let me know what you thought by leaving me a review! Again, only minor changes in this one.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

"Will you stop that?" Tenten exclaimed irritably, glaring daggers at Neji who hastily deactivated his Byakugan.

Except for when they were training he'd always made a point of never using it on her - it would've been too much like invading her privacy. But today he felt he had good reason – a week of illness, and she was _still_ refusing to see a doctor.

He glared back at her, "I would stop – but you're refusing to accept that you need a doctor and therefore the only way of checking if you're all right is by using the Byakugan."

Tenten sighed, "And have you found anything out of the ordinary?" she asked sarcastically.

Neji had the grace to look a bit ashamed, "No," he admitted reluctantly, "aside from some chakra spikes every now and again, there's nothing wrong that I can see."

Tenten made a sweeping gesture with her hands as if to say 'you see' and turned to her breakfast again. She was feeling _much _better today, but Neji simply refused to accept her word for it. She sighed in frustration, and resisted the urge to throw her toast at Neji's head, when he continued to scrutinize her from the corner of his eye while pretending to eat his eggs.

She raised her glass of orange juice to her lips but suddenly she was unable to stand another second of being under Neji's watchful gaze.

"I'm fine!" she hissed at him through gritted teeth, "And I'm going out – Lee was looking for a training partner yesterday and since I'm _completely fine _today, I think I'll go take him up on his offer." She put her glass down with more force than strictly necessary, and quickly pushed her chair back.

"Tenten, I don't think …" Neji began but his words where abruptly cut off when Tenten whirled around and leveled him with a furious gaze.

"Maybe you think too much, Neji. Just leave me alone – I know if I'm not up to something. Stop treating me like a child!"

She stalked through the door leaving Neji staring after her with raised eyebrows. _What did I do?_

Sighing, he toyed with his food. Illness aside, Tenten had been quite unbearable to live with the last week or so … she seemed to be caught in a constant state of PMS, and if he hadn't been so concerned about her health, he would've lost his temper long since.

He sighed again as he pushed his plate away, giving breakfast up as a bad job, before getting to his feet and clearing the table, but he'd just placed the dirty dishes in the sink when there was a rush of movement behind him. He spun around, instantly defensive, but it was only Tenten who, to his surprise, threw herself into his arms as if she hadn't seen him for months.

Her arms tightened around his waist and she raised tear-filled chocolate eyes to his surprised ones, "I don't know why I'm such a bitch when you're so good to me," she wailed, and buried her face in his chest, sniffling slightly.

Neji leaned back against the sink, surprise keeping him immobile. "That…" he cleared his throat, "I mean … it's quite all right," he finally managed, patting her awkwardly on the head.

Tenten raised her eyes again and gave him a watery smile, "I love you," she whispered, kissing him lightly before letting go and, in another whirlwind of motion, she was gone again. For a long time Neji stayed exactly where he was, wondering when, _exactly_, Tenten had lost her mind and how he'd failed to notice it before.

* * *

Tenten rose gracefully into the air, scrolls swirling around her body like ribbons of the finest silk. A hail of kunai whistled through the air to strike their targets dead-center, making a satisfying thunk as they bit deeply into the wood.

"A most youthful display, Tenten!"

Lee cheered her on from a safe distance away, as Tenten landed in a slight crouch and quickly re-furled her scrolls. She shot him a quick grin, thankful that he wasn't constantly training a worried gaze on her every movement.

She quickly replaced her scrolls in their various holders – she'd opted for smaller scrolls for the session with Lee: his lack of a perfect defense such as Neji's Kaiten made it impossible for her to use the bigger ones - those containing the deadliest weapons in her arsenal. Moving forward she slid automatically into a taijutsu stance, and Lee's eyes began to shine with that 'youthful' light she'd always associated with a particularly vigorous bout of training.

Suppressing a groan she lifted her arms, ready to block, and tried to force her thoughts away from the tiredness that pervaded her body. She'd been shocked to discover how weak she'd become in only a week of illness – she'd never admit it to him, but perhaps Neji had been right when he'd suggested that she wasn't quite up to Lee's idea of training just yet.

Lee hit out with his left fist – a light jab – testing her defense, before launching into his trademark roundhouse kick. She jumped back lightly, not paying attention to the way the movement made her head spin, and tried to force her vision to focus on Lee's rapidly advancing figure.

Instead of receding, however, the blackness at the edges of her vision slowly crept forward to block out all sight, and she felt the strength drain from her arms and from her legs. She could feel the trembling in her limbs but was utterly unable to stop the ground from rushing up to meet her.

Her eyes slid shut against her will and the last thing that she was aware of was Lee's panicked cry of "Tenten!"

* * *

Neji stalked along the sterile hospital corridors, furious thoughts chasing through his mind. He rounded the corner and caught sight of Lee and Gai-sensei hovering in front of a closed door.

"Neji, I don't know what happened!" Lee gasped, tears shining in his dark eyes when he caught sight of the Hyuuga approaching, "One minute she was fine and the next she'd just … fainted and I couldn't wake her up."

Before any more could be said, a nurse exited the room, and Neji promptly ignored the rest of Team Gai as he turned to the younger girl and asked with all the authority and command he could muster, "Is Tenten all right? When can I see her?"

The young nurse looked rather flustered – unsure if she should tell him or if she should give him the standard hospital line about not having any new information at that time, but then she said stiffly, "Tsunade-sama has been notified, and she will be here shortly. All your questions will have to wait for her."

Behind Neji, Lee and Gai exchanged a horrified look - he could almost feel the twin sets of bushy eyebrows contracting in sheer terror – if Tsunade had been called then it must be a lot more serious than anyone had thought. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes briefly, and prayed for the strength to make it through the next few hours.

* * *

Tsunade had been with Tenten for over an hour now. Neji ran a frustrated hand through his already messy hair – unaware of the stares of amazement he was periodically receiving from passersby. No one had ever seen a Hyuuga looking so … disheveled. Finally, the door to Tenten's room opened and Tsunade stuck her head out. Neji, Lee and Gai all sprang to their feet, but she simply glanced from left to right before clucking her tongue impatiently and closing the door again.

They sank back into their seats.

A few minutes later Shizune came rushing madly down the hallway, skidding to a halt in front of Tenten's hospital room, barely sparing the three men a glance. Another half an hour ticked past slowly and just when Neji was sure that he would lose his mind if he didn't find out what the hell was going on, the door opened, and Shizune stuck her head out, motioned for Neji to come in, and withdrew again.

Neji firmly pulled himself together before pushing the door open and entering the room. Relief washed over him when he saw Tenten sitting up in the hospital bed looking a bit pale but not as if she was in any immediate danger. She smiled wanly up at him before returning her attention to the sheet she was pleating between nervous fingers. Neji frowned, and glanced at Tsunade but the glare she leveled at him quickly had his gaze returning to Tenten. Tsunade never failed to make him feel like a misbehaving schoolboy.

Tsunade jerked her head at Shizune and they exited the room, leaving Neji and Tenten alone. Neji walked over to her and gently took Tenten's hand, lowering himself into the chair by the bed. His heart was pounding uncomfortably – why did everyone look so serious? He opened his mouth but before he'd managed to utter a word, Tenten raised her head and announced, "I'm pregnant."

Neji's mouth fell open – relief, shock, uncertainty and fleeting, if fierce, pride battling for dominance on his usually calm features.

"Well, at least say _something_," Tenten shifted uncomfortably and Neji snapped his mouth closed, still reeling from the news.

"I'm sorry?" he ventured, finally. Maybe an apology was necessary? He had no idea what she expected from him. She shook her head slowly, and Neji was even more confused when he heard her low laughter.

Tenten smiled at him, "It's just that, when Tsunade told me, her exact words were 'The bastard had better be sorry – that's one of my best kunoichi out of action'," she explained, and Neji couldn't stop the slight grimace – that explained the glares the Fifth Hokage had been leveling at him at least.

Tenten sobered and squeezed his hand lightly, "Thing is, Neji, I'm not sorry. I'm a bit shocked but the more I get used to the idea the more I kind of like it," she confessed, dropping her gaze again, "I mean, I know it's not going to be easy, and there's your family to deal with too, but I just can't get the image of _our_ family out of my head and that scares me. I don't know anything about being a mother."

She turned her head away, and Neji didn't try to force her to look at him – he knew how much that admission had cost her.

Slowly he lifted their hands, shifting his grip so that his fingers tangled with hers, "I'm kind of liking the idea, too," he said softly, and Tenten's head jerked around to stare at him in surprise. She sat up onto her knees and threw her arms around his neck, and, as Neji slowly closed his arms around her, he whispered, "Don't worry about the rest – everything will be fine. I promise."

A long time later they finally let go, and Tenten leaned back against the pillows, smiling weakly. Neji stared at her stomach – unable to draw his eyes away now he knew what was happening inside of her– it all seemed kind of surreal.

Hesitantly he raised his eyes to hers, "May I?" he asked softly, and Tenten nodded just as uncertainly.

Neji activated his Byakugan, and stared intently into her body. Now he knew what to look for, he quickly caught the slight differentiation of chakra in her abdomen – the small, nearly imperceptible flicker of a second chakra signature. His breath pushed out of his lungs and he fell back into his chair – suddenly completely overwhelmed by the thought that his child was slowly growing in her womb.

"What do you see?" Tenten asked worriedly when he remained quiet.

Neji shook his head, unsure of how to put everything into words, and, in the end, he gave up and said simply, "I can see the baby – not like sonar or anything, but I can see his chakra."

"Wow," Tenten blew her bangs out of her eyes, "that sort of makes it real a lot quicker, doesn't it?"

Neji just nodded, grateful that she understood so well.

Silence descended, each of them caught up in their own musings, until a hesitant knock at the door recalled them to reality. Neji glanced questioningly at Tenten, already knowing that Gai and Lee must not be able to wait any longer to hear what was going on.

She nodded her assent, a weary light entering her eyes, and he knew that she also had a fairly good idea of who had knocked. Neji turned and slowly walked to the door, not really sure if he wanted Gai and Lee to know about their impending parenthood just yet. The truth of the matter was that he'd never imagined himself as a father – couldn't visualize it at all – and maybe he was just a little apprehensive: what if the same doubt was reflected in Gai and Lee's eyes? Doubting his ability to be a good father in the deepest recesses of his own mind was one thing – having those doubts confirmed in the eyes of others another entirely. Still, Tenten wanted to see them and he had no real reason for sending them away – they cared about Tenten too – and so Neji swallowed his vague misgivings and swung the door open wide, motioning the two inside.

Nearly identical heads of black hair peeked hesitantly around the doorframe, but once their eyes lighted on Tenten sitting upright and looking well, they brightened considerably and immediately barreled inside with so much energy and enthusiasm that Neji could only shake his head, grit his teeth, and try to keep from showing too obviously how annoying he found their actions.

"Tenten! Youthful flower! Are you all right now?" Gai's voice boomed and he stooped to pick up one of Tenten's hands with an uncharacteristically gentle grip.

Not to be left out, Lee picked up her other hand and added, "I am glad to see your youthful vigor has returned."

Neji leaned against the wall next to the door and crossed his arms, a slight smirk gracing his otherwise expressionless face, and shrugged when Tenten shot him a 'please help' kind of look. Looking resigned Tenten leaned back against the pillows and allowed each of the green-clad shinobi to continue patting her hands.

"I'm perfectly fine," she assured them, "I just fainted – nothing serious." She glanced at Neji again before taking a deep breath, "That kind of thing happens when you're pregnant."

Nearly in unison, Gai and Lee dropped her hands, each taking a step back as they stared at Tenten in astonishment. She winced slightly and this time Neji did not ignore her pleading glance – they were in this together after all and, should any censure be forthcoming from their erstwhile teammates, he had a duty to Tenten and his unborn child to protect them from it. He cleared his throat, effectively drawing the still shocked men's attention away from Tenten.

For a moment both of them looked confused, but the slight tensing of muscles that Neji wasn't entirely able to hide seemed to clear it up, and a knowing light that Neji absolutely detested entered Gai's eyes. Lee stared searchingly at Neji – questions shining from his dark eyes into Neji's light ones – but then he, too, dropped his gaze and turned back to Tenten.

She glanced uneasily from one man to another and opened her mouth to try and smooth over the suddenly tense atmosphere but before she was even entirely sure of what to say, Neji's voice sounded.

"I _will_ take care of her."

From the corner of his eye he saw Tenten's mouth opening, the indignant protest that she was more than capable of taking care of herself surely on the tip of her tongue and he willed her, just this _once_, to be quiet. His words were low, had ripped from somewhere inside him almost unwillingly but he'd been unable to remain silent at the condemnation he'd read in Lee's gaze: the implication that it was his fault Tenten found herself in such a predicament and the criticism of his behavior in letting her tell them alone while he distanced himself. To his surprise, and gratitude, Tenten's gaze shifted between them once again before she bit her lip and looked down, staying silent as if she'd heard his unspoken request.

Gai grinned at Neji, his bright smile accompanied by a thumbs-up posture, seemingly oblivious to the tension radiating between his students and said heartily, "Of course you will. Never doubted it, my boy. Now stop being so prickly - surely you can shelve your Hyuuga dignity for a moment of celebration!"

Neji remained rigidly in position until Lee grinned at him too and included both him and Tenten in his sincere, "Congratulations!"

Only then did he allow himself to relax, to move forward and stand by the head of Tenten's bed. The conversation flowed around him and he listened absently as he toyed with the ends of Tenten's hair, until the joyful phrase, "I'll be an uncle!" accompanied by a fist punching the air from Lee broke through his reverie.

Gai stared at Lee and Lee stared at Gai, both sets of dark eyes below equally bushy brows shining with suppressed tears.

"Lee! We will teach the child true youthfulness!" Gai choked on the words, the emotion of the statement clearly overwhelming him.

"Gai-sensei! We will be his very favorite uncles!"

"Kami help the child," Neji was unable to contain himself any longer but luckily only Tenten heard his low, but heartfelt, words and she choked on a laugh as they watched Gai and Lee making ecstatic plans for the future.

* * *

Tenten left the hospital a few days later – after numerous sermons on eating and resting properly, and with an entire armful of vitamins that she had to take at various intervals of the day. She glanced at Neji beside her, stifling the smile at his shell-shocked expression.

As soon as they'd entered the apartment Neji insisted that she rest, and Tenten thought it best not to push the issue right now – there was plenty of time to accustom him to the fact that she was pregnant - not ill. Right now, his eyes were slightly wild - if you knew him well enough to know the signs – and she felt too sorry for him to cause him further stress – she knew he must hate feeling so out of control. This was not something that he could bend and shape to his satisfaction – instead it required him to sit back and trust to fate, and that was the one thing that Neji was really _not_ good at.

So she allowed him to settle her in bed, with a book, and every kind of snack and beverage her heart could possibly desire, before she calmly told him to go and get on with his day. Tsunade, despite her disgust with Neji, had been remarkably kind in ensuring that, for the next few months, Neji would always be close to home – Tenten had been taken off active duty, of course.

She frowned down at her stomach – according to Tsunade she was about three-and-a-half months along, and she should begin to show in a few weeks. _Will that make it seem more real? _Tenten couldn't help but envy Neji his Byakugan – to him their baby was already a solidly verifiable fact, but to her – there were still moments when she couldn't quite believe it, when she was sure that it was all a dream.

She'd frantically wracked her brain trying to think of when this could've happened – they were usually so careful – they always used every jutsu that had ever been devised to ensure that no unplanned pregnancies occurred, and, eventually, she'd concluded that the jutsus must've failed – that was until she remembered the day they'd said goodbye to their youthful charges on their last mission together.

The next few hours had been spent in swearing at the stupid kids – it was entirely their fault that she and Neji hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other in the aftermath of that torturous mission! They'd been so desperate for each other that first time – when they'd just reached the hot springs resort - that habit had been overcome by desire, and, all other thoughts had been consumed by the need to touch, to feel, to be as close to each other as they could get, as quickly as possible . But Tenten couldn't really bring herself to be sorry that she was pregnant – unplanned and unexpected or not - she'd always wanted children. So what if she was having the first one a little ahead of schedule?

She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts and curled up on her side, burying her face in Neji's pillow and inhaling his scent deeply. Soon she was asleep, and it was in that position that Neji found her when he looked in on her later that afternoon.

He stared at her sleeping form for a long time before he turned and silently let himself out of the apartment again – using every ninja skill he possessed not to wake her. Truth be told, he was more worried than he'd let on to Tenten. They were just 20, barely starting out in life, and he _really_ wasn't sure if he'd be a good parent, but the Hyuuga clan elders were the worst of his worries, and Neji frowned as he locked the door behind him. Then he shook his head, confidence returning to his eyes – he'd find a way around them – even if it killed him, because he was damned if he'd allow his child to be branded with the Caged Bird seal as he had been.

* * *

Much later that night Tenten lay on her side staring at Neji as he read through a scroll by the light of his bedside lamp, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was either ignoring her or he was really so caught up in his reading that he wasn't aware of his surroundings anymore – neither possibility was acceptable in Tenten's book. She reached over and plucked the scroll from his hands, tossing it to the floor.

Neji simply raised his eyebrows questioningly at her. Tenten placed a deliberate hand on his bare chest, and shifted closer, "Are you telling me that the scroll is more interesting than me?" she asked archly. She wound a leg over his hip and pressed closer, pulling him down for a kiss that quickly sparked out of control.

To her satisfaction, she could feel his body hardening against hers – she'd been afraid that being pregnant made her unattractive to him; he hadn't made any move to touch her all day, despite their week long separation. Their relationship had always been extremely physical – it was part of the way they were, how they communicated with each other. Since neither of them was particularly comfortable with voicing their feelings out loud, they usually _showed_ each other – not just sexually, but in a myriad of small, insignificant touches whenever they were alone. But the last few days, Neji had studiously avoided touching her, and when he was forced to, he handled her as if she was delicate china – something that should be left alone lest it broke.

Tenten sighed into his mouth and pressed closer, reveling in the touch of his hands as they stroked along her body. She rolled onto her back, taking him with her, and she'd just had the satisfaction of his reassuring weight over her when he suddenly drew back to sit between her spread legs – mingled horror, shame, desire, and apology in his eyes.

"What?" Tenten asked, completely bewildered by his sudden change from passionate to tightly controlled.

"I'm sorry. I – I forgot about the baby," Neji ground out, not looking at her.

For a long moment Tenten stared at him in disbelief, "Is that why you've been acting like I might break?" she finally asked, already knowing the answer, and she began to laugh.

Neji glanced at her in confusion, and Tenten reached forward to grab him by the waistband of his pants, and pulled him toward her again. Caught off balance, Neji fell forward slightly but managed to catch his weight on his arms so he hovered over her.

He gave her a disapproving look and she sighed, "You can't hurt me or the baby, Neji. Tsunade said it was fine…" her words trailed off as she arched up under him and Neji closed his eyes as he prayed for control …

* * *

Neji brushed his hand slowly along Tenten's naked stomach – his head resting on her equally naked shoulder – as he stared at the flickering chakra inside her in complete fascination. If he hadn't been so totally and utterly satisfied, he might have been berating himself for his lack of control but since both she and the little bit of chakra seemed to be happily resting, he found he couldn't be bothered to mind too much.

He deactivated his Byakugan, and lay like that for a moment longer listening to Tenten's even heartbeat and breathing, before he shifted off of her and pulled the sheet up and over her. She turned onto her side, and buried her face in the pillow, and Neji pressed a soft kiss into her hair, pulling her against his chest and allowing his arm fall protectively over her waist, his hand resting on her stomach. _I love you_, he told her silently before sleep claimed him too.

* * *

Tenten stared at the chaos in her living room with bemused eyes. Bright wrapping paper, bows and boxes littered every available surface and loud squeals of 'how cute!' kept coming from the corner where Sakura and Ino were sorting through the various baby paraphernalia she'd received thus far. She smiled ruefully, Lee and Gai had wasted no time in spreading the news far and wide, she'd barely been out of the hospital for a week and already people were converging on her to declare their congratulations.

A gentle knock at the front door pulled her from her thoughts and she waved Sakura away when the latter immediately jumped to her feet.

"I'll get it," Tenten smiled at the other girl who gave her a doubtful look but sat back down when Tenten glared at her.

"Hinata," Tenten said in surprise when the door swung open to reveal Neji's shy cousin. Hinata held a couple of large boxes in her arms, and smiled at Tenten who quickly stepped back to allow her entrance.

"Tenten, forgive my tardiness in coming, but father was waiting for your gift to arrive," Hinata said, as she lowered the packages onto the couch. Tenten arched an eyebrow at the Hyuuga girl but kept her silence – somehow she sincerely doubted that Hiashi had had anything to do with the gift-giving whatsoever but Hinata clearly wanted her to feel that the whole family was offering their best wishes and so she merely smiled at her.

"Thank you, Hinata," she said softly, and the other girl immediately pushed a brightly wrapped package into her arms with a happy smile.

"This one first," she said, sitting down next to Tenten, waiting expectantly.

The box was large, heavy, and when Tenten shifted it on her lap, it made a clanking sound. Tenten glanced at Hinata curiously but her blank gaze was giving nothing away, and so she turned her attention to the bow that covered the package. Slowly, so as not to destroy Hinata's beautiful wrapping too much, Tenten pulled the paper off to reveal a plain brown cardboard box with a note taped to the top.

Deciding to read the note first Tenten unfolded it slowly, to read the elegant cursive script inside. And she couldn't help her eyebrows rising to nearly touch her hairline.

_The wood is said to contain calming properties. May your child have many restful hours in the crib. Hyuuga Hiashi._

"F-father showed me how it is assembled," Hinata mumbled from next to her, waiting anxiously for Tenten's reaction, "he apologizes for not coming himself, but urgent business kept him away. I-I have a picture of what it'll look like." Hinata fumbled in her pocket and hesitantly held out the paper to Tenten.

It showed a beautifully carved wooden cradle – somehow, even through a picture, it conveyed a sense of security and tranquility. _Damn hormones, _Tenten groaned inwardly when she felt the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. But she knew how much the gesture from his uncle would mean to Neji, and she couldn't help but be touched by the sentiments it conveyed.

"It's beautiful, Hinata," she managed at last, sounding a little choked, "please convey my delight and thanks to your father also."

The beaming smile of relief made Tenten wonder – maybe the Hyuugas were as wary of her as she was of them? But the thought was fleeting and in the laughter and joking that followed with the opening of the other gifts she quite forgot about anything but basking in the glow of her friends' excitement. The feeling of goodwill that permeated her being kept a permanent smile in place as the afternoon slowly wore away to evening.

* * *

Neji returned home to complete and utter chaos, and Tenten couldn't help the giggles that escaped when his eye twitched as he took in the sight of the girls surrounded by mountains of paper, boxes and gifts, but he made no protest, merely thanked the others before insisting that they leave so that Tenten could rest.

Alone at last, she curled up against him when he lowered himself down next to her still staring at the mess in disbelief.

"I assume I'm cleaning this," he stated at last, a resigned sigh falling from his lips as he pulled Tenten down to lie more comfortably in his arms.

She laughed, "I'll help, of course."

But they didn't move as they stared around the room, and it was a long time later when Tenten finally spoke up softly again, "Feels good to be loved, doesn't it?"

* * *

_**A/N: So what did you think? I'd really appreciate your views on the chapter especially on the following aspects and what it could possibly mean in terms of the characters and the story:**_

_**Neji's fear of his family's reaction**_

_**Hiashi's gift**_

_**Tenten's fear of being a mother**_

_**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited! As promised this chapter starts the actual story. I hope that you like it! Don't forget to REVIEW and let me know what you think! (Pretty please ^^)**_

_**PS. Some new things have been added and I hope that you agree the additions make the story better xD**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

_Five months later…_

Neji sighed as he stretched out on the ground, staring absentmindedly into the flames. When he'd been offered an overnight mission he'd jumped at the chance – it had seemed absolutely perfect: he'd be gone for just a little over 24 hours and it was close enough to Konoha that any emergency summons would reach him in time. And, the truth of the matter was, he needed a little bit of a break from Tenten.

Much as it pained him to admit, the last few months had strained even his much-vaunted self-control. He'd never known Tenten to be this emotional – no, scratch that, he'd never known it was possible for _anyone _to be that emotional. Tenten consistently went from being deliriously happy one minute, to sobbing her heart out in the next. Something as inconsequential as draping a towel over the clothes hamper, instead of hanging it up on the rail, had her flying into such a rage that Neji had instinctively ducked, though she'd not had any weapon scrolls close at hand – thank Kami.

He gritted his teeth at the mere memory. More than once in the last months they'd had such fights that the neighbors had stuck their heads around their doors in curiosity. The most memorable of those was the day he'd come home and, quite innocently, asked how her appointment with the doctor had gone – only to receive a plate thrown at his head (he'd never been so glad of his good reflexes as in the last while) and a screamed 'How could you do this to me – I hate you!' before she'd burst into tears and locked herself in their bedroom.

She'd only opened the door when he'd threatened to Kaiten his way through it, and she could feel the chakra being gathered, proving his seriousness. Once she'd opened the door she'd thrown herself into his arms, and Neji had remained in the dark for at least another hour before she'd finally told him what had happened. Seemed they were expecting _twins _of all things. He'd been too shocked to stop her from pounding him with a pillow after she'd shared that piece of news. Neji shook his head – he sometimes wondered if Tenten would ever forgive him for it. Though, he had to admit he'd been relieved to hear it – it explained how Tenten had grown so big - he'd begun to wonder how a baby could possibly be that size.

Lee laughed at something Gai had said but Neji paid them no attention. All in all he'd been sure that this would be exactly the break that he needed to regain his patience and understanding but, perversely, he found himself unable to stop thinking about Tenten and wondering if she and the babies were all right.

* * *

It was just dusk when Neji entered the gates of the village the next day. They'd finished a bit later than expected, but he'd gone ahead of Lee and Gai – firmly pretending not to have seen the knowing glance they shared – and he'd made it back to Konoha just a little behind schedule.

He entered the apartment to the smell of dinner and the sound of the shower mingled with Tenten's slightly off-key voice. Neji exhaled in relief then frowned. He hadn't even noticed how stressed he was until he'd heard her sounding perfectly happy. He walked to the open bathroom door, and leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed and with a slight smirk pulling at his lips, as he watched Tenten washing her hair.

The steam wreathed around her legs, and Neji felt the familiar tightening of his body at the sight. Aside from her distended stomach Tenten hadn't gained much weight – her breasts were fuller (not that he was complaining) but the overall impression was one of a flower in full bloom (Kami, he really had lost his mind if he was thinking in such terms). Neji carefully backed away from the door and firmly suppressed his inner sexual deviant. He'd never thought that a highly pregnant Tenten would be such a turn-on, but there was something inherently erotic about the way she looked now, and it was only compounded by the knowledge that she was carrying his child. Neji groaned as he dropped onto the bed, frantically trying to control the lust pooling low in his belly.

"You're back," Tenten stood in the doorway, rubbing a towel over her hair, and looking at him in surprise.

"Hn," Neji muttered, as he quickly stood - he was worse off than he'd thought if he hadn't even heard her leaving the shower - and started toward the now vacated bathroom. En route he dropped a light kiss on her cheek, but didn't stop. Safely inside, he leaned against the closed door, staring down at his body as if it had perpetrated the vilest of betrayals. With a sigh, Neji shed his clothes and quickly got into the shower. He'd be very happy once the birth was over – he wasn't sure how much more of his own ministrations he could take without going insane.

* * *

Tenten groaned as she levered her, not insubstantial, weight off the couch. _Damn people, visiting when Neji isn't here to open the door, making me get up, they don't know how hard that is … _her thoughts abruptly ran into a brick wall, when she opened the door and saw Hiashi standing there, a slight smile on his face.

"Hello, Tenten. You're looking well. May I come in?" he asked politely, and Tenten merely nodded as she stepped back to open the door wider. What on earth was Hyuuga Hiashi doing on her doorstep?

She cleared her throat nervously as she watched him closing the door behind him, "Neji isn't here," she said uncomfortably, but Hiashi merely smiled and motioned her into the kitchen, pulling out a chair and ushering her into it. At first Tenten was too shocked by this very uncharacteristic act to do anything but comply - then the resentment started to boil. _Damn Hyuuga thinking he can just come in and act like he owns the place – typical! _But she was wise enough to keep her face blank and her thoughts to herself.

Once they were both settled with a cup of tea, Tenten took a deep breath, "So, what's this visit in aid of?" she asked bluntly. The stress of the situation was getting to her and she'd rather just get it all out of the way – she had less than no desire to sit here making small talk until Hiashi felt like getting to the point.

He smiled slightly again, "Direct as always," he said, but his tone was amused and Tenten simply let the comment slide.

Hiashi straightened in his seat and turned serious eyes on her, "Tenten, I have come to see you because I was bidden to do so by the elders of the Hyuuga clan."

Tenten couldn't help but tense up, even as confusion washed over her features, "What could they possibly want with me?"

Hiashi sighed, "I don't think you quite know just how important those children you're carrying are." The cryptic phrase did nothing to alleviate the confusion and apprehension in Tenten's mind but she stayed quiet as she waited for him to continue.

"I don't know how much my nephew has told you about clan politics but let me give you a quick lesson. Of all the Hyuuga shinobi, Neji is the most talented – he has the strongest affinity with the Byakugan – the strongest bloodline in the clan, if you will. I want him for my heir," Hiashi said, as bluntly as she had spoken a few moments before, and Tenten couldn't help the involuntary gasp that escaped her.

"But what about Hinata – and Hanabi?" she asked at last.

Hiashi shook his head, "This is the first time in the long history of the Hyuuga that there have been only female heirs. Traditionally, the eldest son of the clan head becomes heir, regardless of whether he is the eldest child or not. However, in this instance things are a little different. Much as it pained me, I passed Hinata over in favor of her sister years ago. Hinata has the talent but not the disposition that is required of a clan head. Hanabi is the opposite – she has the disposition, but though she is talented, she does not have her sister's Byakugan. And neither of them is anywhere close to Neji in terms of either talent or any of the other traits needed to be an effective leader."

Hiashi stared into his cup for a long moment, and Tenten finally broke the silence, "Forgive me, Hiashi-sama, but I fail to see what this has to do with me."

His voice was without inflection when he answered, "It has everything to do with you. You see, four years ago – when Neji became a jounin – I started to lobby for his instatement as the official heir. I'm sure you see the problem with this – talented or no, he's still of the branch family. But with Neji's impressive track record to back up the fact of his strength, the elders slowly came around to my way of thinking, and they finally agreed to it on the condition that it only became official after he'd spent some time as an ANBU captain – they felt this would harden him, teach him to make the impossible decisions that is required of a leader," Hiashi sighed, "Neji doesn't know about this - but he'd finally agreed to apply to ANBU. It seemed as if all was going according to plan – until you fell pregnant." He raised his eyes to Tenten's.

"There is no way that the elders will accept a branch family member as head of the clan if he has a non-Hyuuga wife in tow – the children they are willing to accept. Neji's blood is strong, and his children will undoubtedly inherit his strength."

Tenten stared at Hiashi in shocked silence, her hands protectively covering her stomach. Hiashi held up a hand, indicating that she should give him a moment when she opened her mouth to argue.

"I know that you find this very difficult to understand, so I will endeavor to explain. You see, the head of the clan is ultimately responsible for the protection of the bloodline – but as that bloodline mixes with others it grows weaker. Thus, the elders reason that one child, or, as in this case twins, will still have a very strong Hyuuga side, but what of your other children? The more children you and Neji have the more diluted the Hyuuga blood becomes. You will appreciate that it is impossible to have a clan head that shows that kind of attitude toward the very bloodline he is supposed to protect - with his life if necessary."

Hiashi stared at Tenten with something close to pity in his eyes, "The elders have given me leave to place this proposal before you: Neji will be heir and your children will reap all of the benefits of that – in other words, they won't be branded with the seal – but on the condition that you are not a part of their lives. Currently, there is a mission on Hokage-sama's desk that requires a life-long commitment – a spying mission. We will arrange for you to be the one to take this mission. I have also been instructed to remind you of Neji's prodigal talent – to point out that it would be selfishness to hold him back."

Tenten raised her chin defiantly, "And if I refuse?"

Hiashi sighed unhappily, "Then the status quo remains: Neji will be a branch member and your children will bear the burdens of the Hyuuga branch family. But I have been instructed to warn you that, should you choose this course of action, Neji will be marginalized as never before. In the past, my favor and his own talent has spared him the worst of the branch family fate, but those kinds of concessions will cease should he openly defy the clan - which you and I both know he would do, if I gave him these options," Hiashi stared intently at Tenten, "Neji made his choice long ago – and his choice was you. But now I am asking you to be strong where Neji couldn't be."

Tenten shook her head, trying desperately to wrap her mind around the concept. The man was seriously expecting her to give up her family so that Neji could wear a metaphorical crown? Hiashi reached across the table and took her hand in his cool grip. Tenten tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her, and, when she raised angry eyes to his, he said urgently, "Tenten, I don't agree with the elders' decision. When I found out you were pregnant I immediately withdrew my vote for Neji as heir, but by then it was too late. Too late for Neji to return to simply being a favored branch family member – the elders had decided they wanted him and nothing I said could sway them from that decision. I know I'm asking the impossible of you – and you and I both know that even though Neji is ambitious he would sacrifice all his ambition for you – and happily at that. But I've been commanded to say these things and I have to do my duty."

She shook her head in confusion – everything seemed very surreal suddenly - but Hiashi shook her hand gently to focus her attention, "Tenten, I am asking you to be strong and do the right thing - for your family. Neji will be marginalized – and, right now, I know that doesn't sound so bad to you. But how long before he is called upon to give his life for the clan as his father was called upon before him? By 'marginalized' the elders actually mean 'eliminated' because they will see the choice as a betrayal of the clan and traitors cannot be tolerated. Neji will be forced to be the lowest of the low within the branch family, and he will be unable to fight back because of the threat of something happening to you or the children hanging over his head. Then, once they've eliminated Neji … how long do you think it will be before some horrific accident befell your children?" Tenten shook her head frantically, gasping breaths falling from her lips. "Tenten, I am begging you to listen to me – they are ruthless, and they will not stop until they've destroyed you and everyone you hold dear, and there will be nothing that I can do to prevent that."

At last Tenten couldn't take anymore. She slapped her hands over her ears, frantically shaking her head, "No, please, no – we'll go away. Far away," she raised pleading eyes to Hiashi's but he shook his head sadly.

"They will follow you to the ends of the earth because nothing is more important than safeguarding the secrets of the Byakugan – no single person could ever compare with that."

Tenten bent over as far as her swollen stomach allowed - her vision was growing black around the edges, and she felt like she couldn't breathe – the pain in her heart spreading to encompass her entire body.

Hiashi stood swiftly, and touched her lightly but firmly – a few spots on her back, her neck, and a couple on her shoulders, and Tenten immediately felt the relaxation of her muscles – it did nothing to ease her mental distress but physically she felt better. Then he placed his fingers on her temples and said, "It's a lot to take in – and you don't have to make any decisions right now. But please, take heed of my warning. Now, come, let me help you to lie down." He lifted her firmly but gently to her feet and led a dazed Tenten through to her bedroom where he helped her to lie down, lifting her feet on to the bed after her.

When she was settled he sat down next to her and placed his fingertips at her temples again – softly applying a gentle pressure and Tenten could feel unconsciousness creeping up on her from his touch. The last thing she was aware of was Hiashi's soft voice saying, "I do believe that you are worthy of him after all, Tenten. For what it's worth, you have my admiration and my respect." But then her eyes closed, and blessed sleep overwhelmed her.

* * *

Tenten woke in the middle of the night, fighting her way out of nightmares that had consistently presented her with images of Neji's cold body spread on blood-stained earth, and as she struggled upright she instinctively felt next to her for his reassuring warmth.

Neji was out like a light, he'd slept peacefully through her struggles, but at her touch, he rolled over and mumbled sleepily, "'s okay, Ten. Sleep now."

His hands automatically reached for her and he drew her down to lie in his arms, and, with sudden clarity, Tenten knew that she would do whatever it took to keep him and their children safe. _I won't ever allow anything to happen to you_, she vowed silently, tracing trembling fingertips over his mouth. He kissed her fingers softly, and smiled before his breathing evened out again, and Tenten successfully managed to stifle the sounds of pain that wanted to tear from her throat, even as hot tears cascaded in tiny rivers down her cheeks.

* * *

_**A/N: I want to know what you thought of it, so please hit the button below =). Thanks for reading!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited! A question that came up in the reviews deserves to be addressed here, I think: The Hyuuga clan wouldn't have any say over Tenten's children since she and Neji aren't married and especially since it is unknown whether the children have the Byakugan yet or not. However, in this case, since Neji is so integral to their plans, the Elders are willing to act on the assumption that the children will have the Byakugan … in which case it doesn't matter if Tenten and Neji is married or not. In the previous chapter Hiashi tells her that they will hunt them to the ends of the earth if they try to run because nothing is more important than protecting the Byakugan – and this situation falls in that category. So, I hope that clears it up a little bit better ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

Two days later Tenten stalked through the corridors of the Hyuuga compound firmly ignoring the young woman who scurried along in her wake – protesting that she couldn't see Hiashi-sama at the moment as he was very busy and –

Tenten stopped in front of Hiashi's study door, she'd been here often enough in the early days of her and Neji's relationship – when he'd still had to sneak out at night, or sneak her in – and he'd quickly pointed out the areas to avoid, like Hiashi's study.

She knocked strongly and waved the annoying girl away. Hiashi's quiet voice bid her enter and her strength suddenly seemed to disappear like mist before the sun – but then the girl gave her a dirty look and pushed past her.

Bowing respectfully the girl said, "Hiashi-sama, I told this person that you are busy, but she simply would not listen!"

She sounded outraged, as if Tenten had done her a personal wrong by daring to want to see Hiashi, and thankfully Tenten could feel her strength returning. She walked – all right waddled, or that's what it felt like anyway – forward, and when he caught sight of her Hiashi immediately stood.

"Come, Tenten. Let me get you a chair."

He waved her over to the desk, and Tenten was thankful that he didn't expect her to sit on the floor, as was traditional – she wasn't sure she would ever be able to get up again.

The girl looked even more affronted when Hiashi sent her to get tea, and told her not leave his highly pregnant visitors standing in future, and Tenten smiled again. But then the girl was gone, the door closed behind her, and Tenten could feel her determination falter.

Without any kind of preamble she immediately launched into what she had to say – the damn Hyuuga clan did not deserve her respect and she saw no reason to try and be polite about any dealings she had with them.

"He'll fight for me. He'll never just let me go like that. Didn't it occur to your precious elders?" her voice was heavy with sarcasm, but she decided that she didn't care.

Hiashi inclined his head, "It did. Which is why the elders have proposed that the entire situation be handled in secrecy – Neji must never know where you are or that you're still working for Konoha."

Tenten arched a disbelieving eyebrow, "So, I'm just supposed to give birth and up and leave? He'll never stop looking for me if I just disappear without a word!"

Hiashi lowered his eyes, staring intently at the papers on his desk and, finally, he responded heavily, "That's why we have to provide him with irrefutable proof that there's nothing left to fight for."

A long silence descended, which was just as well as the girl returned with the tea, and while she was serving, Tenten tried to decipher the meaning of the clan leader's cryptic words. When they were finally alone again, she spoke up, "And how do they propose to accomplish that? Just provide Neji with my cold, dead body and tell him that's the end of it? Because I can't think of any other way that Neji could ever be convinced to give up."

Hiashi raised his eyes to hers and Tenten gasped, her hands trembling so much that she had to put her cup of tea down on the desk. For an interminable moment they stared at each other and then Tenten slowly leaned back in her seat.

"Dear Kami, you're really serious. They want him to think that I'm dead."

* * *

Tenten stared out the window at the encroaching dawn. A loud bang had her whirling around to see what had caused the noise, and she frowned at Neji.

"Don't punch the walls."

Her tone was reproving but he only glared at her.

"I _detest _this plan," he announced.

"Do you have a better idea? I'm open to suggestions," she sighed heavily, and Neji dropped down next to her on the bed, and drew her tightly against him.

"No," he replied at last, sounding completely defeated and without any of his usual self-assurance.

Tenten stroked softly, comfortingly, over his hair. "Then this is the only way. We can't win in a straight fight – we need to outsmart them."

Neji brushed a gentle hand over her stomach and she nearly cried when he raised his eyes to hers – they were filled with such pain and regret.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "it would've been better for you if you'd never gotten involved with me – I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stay away from you like I knew I should."

The guilt was nearly crippling – though she and Hiashi had agreed on what Neji should know and what not, she hated having to lie to him; hated deceiving him.

"No! Don't ever think that! You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I knew, getting into this, that it wouldn't be easy – but Neji, you're worth any sacrifice to me – our _family_ is worth any sacrifice to me," Tenten cupped his face firmly, staring intently into his eyes, "I need to know if you can do this – can you pull it off? If anything happened to you…"

Her voice broke and Neji pulled her into an almost too tight hug, just a hint of his usual arrogance in his tone when he replied, "Of course I can do this. Don't worry – nothing will happen to me."

Tenten took a deep breath, opened her mouth and found that she just _couldn't_ tell him everything. He deserved the truth, but with so much at stake – not least of which was Neji's life – she didn't dare. The guilt gnawed at her soul, and she knew that he should know that he was Hiashi's heir, but that piece of information especially she could not share. If nothing else the elders had been right about Neji's ambition, and there was no way that she could expect him to choose between his family and his clan. She did not want him to choose duty over what he desired for himself. Though she knew that he would never let her down, not deliberately, she couldn't help the slight twinges of fear – what if he chose the clan? Deep down she couldn't help but believe that one day Neji would wake up and realize that she'd been holding him back all this time.

No matter how desperately she wished to believe that their relationship meant as much to Neji as it did to her, she could never quite manage to still the doubts that raged in the deepest, darkest recesses of her heart. So she kept her mouth shut, allowed him to think that they would be escaping the clan and all that it stood for – and, in so doing, kept her illusions firmly intact.

* * *

Neji paced the hospital corridors worriedly. Nearly twelve hours had passed since Tenten had gone into early labour – only a couple of weeks early, but still. They had assured him, again and again, that there was nothing to worry about, but he'd only stared at the hospital staff in disgust. Did they honestly expect him to believe their empty reassurances when Tenten's screams could clearly be heard on the other side of the door?

He ran an agitated hand through his hair, and glared at his uncle, Lee and Gai-sensei. Why the hell didn't they just leave? He didn't want them here – they had no right to be here … their presence made the part he had to play so much harder, but right now all he could focus on was Tenten, and all other considerations had to come after.

Tenten had been silent for a while now, and he didn't know whether that was a good thing or not – while he was thankful that the sounds of pain had abated, he couldn't help but wonder whether they had ceased because she was no longer in pain or because she was too far gone to even feel it anymore.

"Hyuuga-san."

An exhausted-looking doctor exited the double doors that led to the theatre, and Neji whirled around at the sound of his name, staring expectantly at the man. His knees nearly buckled but he forced himself to walk forward.

"Congratulations, you have two healthy babies – a boy and a girl, not identical, but," the doctor smiled slightly, "I'll let you see them for yourself in just a moment."

The doctor glanced at the others who were waiting just as anxiously and motioned Neji to follow him a little down the hallway. Relief and fear warred in his soul, but Neji complied – allowed the man to lead him away. He took a deep breath, knowing what was coming, and prepared himself for the part he had to play. For now he knew that his children were all right and the rest he could worry about later.

"And Tenten? Is she all right?" Neji asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

The doctor lifted his eyes to Neji's and, after a moment, he said slowly, "I'm sorry. We did everything we could – but there were complications. We couldn't stop the bleeding-"

He never got to finish his sentence. Neji forced himself to stare blankly at the doctor; as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The problem was the little voice at the back of his mind; whispering how easily it could have been true, if the elders hadn't decided to be merciful since Tenten was providing them with two new Hyuugas who might be just as strong as their father. Though he knew what to expect the sight hit him much harder than he ever would've anticipated. The mere idea of it being real was enough to make his limbs shake.

Tenten was lying in the middle of the operating room. Her face was impossibly pale, her hair spread loosely on the pillow – sweat still glistening on her skin. Jerkily Neji moved toward her, reached out a trembling hand to brush her bangs away from her eyes … Kami, she was so cold … cold and still … Distantly, a part of him marveled at the realism of it all … couldn't help but wonder how they'd done it. A mere genjutsu wouldn't have been enough to fool him, after all.

Neji backed away slowly, forcing himself to focus on nothing but the body on the table. He couldn't seem to draw his eyes away, no matter how much he wanted to, and Neji didn't resist when he felt hands on his shoulders, beneath his arms, lifting him gently to his feet.

_It isn't real! Get it together._

But the reality of their situation seemed to crash down upon him all at once and Neji couldn't help but allow the guilt to spiral through his system at the thought of how easily it could have been real. How Tenten could stand even looking at him after all he was putting her through, he would never know.

He ignored the soft words the person spoke to him, and it was only when they were outside in the hallway again that time seemed to speed back up to normal.

The plastic chair looked impossibly inviting – his legs refused to hold him up - and Neji allowed Lee to lower him into it, before remembering the part he had to play.

"So much blood," he whispered, not looking at his teammate. It wasn't even really a lie – there _had _been a lot of blood and he hated the thought that he'd been the cause of so much of Tenten's life force being spilt.

He feigned shock, as nurses and Lee and Gai-sensei milled around him, unsure of how to proceed, but at the back of his mind he couldn't help but mulling over the next phase of the plan. They were buying it, his apparent shock and grief, now all that remained was to get them to leave him alone.

* * *

"You don't have to do this," Tsunade said, unhappily, as she eyed Tenten from the other side of the private hospital room, "I may not have any authority over clan matters but I _do _have the power to protect you – and to a certain extent your son and daughter."

She bit her lip when Tenten turned a hard gaze on her.

"And Neji? What about him? Even if you _were_ able to provide some sort of protection – how long before they came after my children?" Tenten's eyes were red and puffy from crying, but her voice didn't waver when she went on, "This is the only way – the only choice. If I stay they all _die_! If we don't do it this way we'll never have a normal life! What's my happiness compared to that – do you honestly think I can live with myself if I was the reason that my family was murdered?"

Tsunade averted her eyes, not knowing what to say. The truth was that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to protect even Tenten if the Hyuuga clan was after her blood – bloodline limits were often capable of overcoming entire ANBU squadrons – and she could hardly keep Tenten, Neji and their children under lock and key for the rest of their lives. She sighed heavily, sat down in the chair next to the bed and fixed Tenten with the piercing gaze she was famous for.

"Let me get this straight: you are asking me to lie to the Hyuuga council – the most influential of the village clans, noble in their own right, I might add, since you will not, in fact, be taking the Cloud mission after all."

Tenten nodded, a slight blush covering her cheeks; when the Hokage laid it out like that it did sound beyond preposterous.

Tsunade shook her head but continued in the same expressionless voice, "You also expect me to lie to your friends – allow them to bury and mourn you - when in fact you are alive and well. You and Neji will take off for the border and once over it, you expect me to bring my weight to bear with the feudal lord of the Fire Country so that he will grant you sanctuary. After which Neji will somehow extract himself from clan politics and eventually join you there. All the while, the elders must believe that you are in the Cloud village and that Neji believes you dead. Am I following this right?"

Tsunade arched an expressive eyebrow at Tenten who merely nodded again.

"This is all well and good and not without the realm of possibility, but you and Hyuuga Hiashi do not believe that the elders will be so easily overcome, so you've come up with another plan altogether – one that you cannot give me the details to, except to tell me that it will involve the elders bringing Neji and the twins back to Konoha, after which everyone except myself and Hiashi-san will be under the impression that you are either dead or working undercover in the Cloud village."

Tsunade sighed again and her gaze was not entirely unsympathetic when her eyes met Tenten's anxious brown ones again, "Tenten, I agree that you find yourself in an impossible situation, but what is there to be gained from lying to Neji? Clan politics are a messy business but the only way for you to overcome that is _together_. I cannot understand why you do not simply tell Neji everything."

"Because Hiashi-sama feels – and I agree – that Neji will not be able to control himself. He does not have a good history with the council and the plan will take time. We do not think that he'll be able to take sitting back and doing nothing. The only thing that keeps him safe from harm is the fact that the elders believe that he is devoted to the clan – the slightest hint that he's keeping anything from them and the entire house of cards comes crashing down." Tenten ran a frustrated hand through her hair – all this deception was so contrary to her nature that she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable in her own skin, and Tsunade's barely veiled condemnation wasn't helping.

"What's the point of you and Neji running away if you know that you'll only get caught?"

Tsunade persisted in asking difficult questions but Tenten knew that the Hokage only wanted to be sure that she'd thought her course of action through thoroughly.

"Neji … is a complicated person. Perhaps the best course of action would've been to allow him to believe that I'm dead, but I just couldn't do that to him. To keep him safe, the less he knows the better, but should – I mean when – Hiashi-sama's plan succeeds, Neji will never be able to forgive himself for simply allowing events to dictate his actions. This way, hopeless as it is, Neji cannot blame himself for doing nothing – this way he tried and failed, but at least he _did _something. Or that's how he'll see it, at least," Tenten said wearily, aware of how useless her words were in explaining Neji and his thought patterns to Tsunade but unable to articulate it any better.

The skeptical expression on the Hokage's face left her no illusions as to how pitiful the explanation really was and, try as she might, Tenten couldn't keep the defensiveness from her tone, "Alright, I doubt it'll really make him feel any better once the truth is revealed eventually, but it might help a bit."

"I understand the need for time with your family, Tenten," Tsunade said quietly after a long moment of silence and Tenten kept her eyes lowered – hating how the Hokage saw through her so easily.

"So, I lose a good kunoichi. I lie to influential members of my village, and I, in effect, help to break up a family. How is this good, Tenten? Who gains anything in the end?" Tsunade asked tiredly.

"Hokage-sama, I am not unaware of the magnitude of my request, but I beg you to believe me when I say that what we are doing will result in a better situation for all members of the Hyuuga clan."

"Hmph," Tsunade stood, "never would've taken Hyuuga Hiashi for a revolutionary, but you have my support."

Tenten exhaled audibly in relief, her eyes shining her thankfulness at the Fifth Hokage.

Tsunade paused with her hand on the doorknob, "Tenten. I will go along with this farce because I too believe that the Hyuuga clan needs to be changed, but I warn you, if at any point this becomes a threat to the village, I will act."

Her voice rang with warning, and Tenten shivered at the threat – sometimes it was easy to forget that Tsunade was one of the legendary Sannin, until she decided to remind you, and the power that emanated from the woman in the doorway filled Tenten with awe and admiration.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. But you have no cause for concern – our plan does not include civil war," Tenten's voice rang with sincerity, and confusion furrowed her brow when Tsunade gave her an unreadable look.

"Tenten, be careful. Do not trust a Hyuuga simply because he says he wants to help you. Neji is a lot like his father – but the two of them are the exception that proves the rule when it comes to the Hyuuga clan. They are ruthless and will do whatever necessary to protect their Byakugan and the prestige it gives them – make sure that you and your family don't get caught in the crossfire."

The Hokage's voice was low and anxious and again the fingers of fear skated down Tenten's spine. She managed a confident grin, and nodded but inside she was quaking as the full magnitude of what she was doing suddenly crashed down on her. The Hokage left without another word and Tenten dropped her gaze to her lap. She wanted nothing more than to burrow into the safety of Neji's embrace and allow him to lead her as he had always done in the past, but this was the one time when she couldn't afford to rely on anyone but herself, and so Tenten firmly pushed the fear and the doubts away. Pushing herself into a sitting position, wincing slightly at the soreness, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. There was a lot left to do before she could leave.

* * *

"Neji, I really must protest," Hiashi said disapprovingly, as he watched his nephew haphazardly throwing clothes, and various pieces of baby paraphernalia, into the opened bags on the bed.

The younger man didn't reply, simply went on with his task, and Hiashi took a deep breath, "Neji, they're newly born – they shouldn't be taken far away from any medical assistance."

Neji finally looked up, as he briefly ceased his packing, "I'm not taking them far away from any medical assistance – I just need to get the hell out of this place right now, and I'm not leaving them behind."

Hiashi almost winced at the cold, dead tone in his nephew's voice, but tried again, "Please reconsider – I know that you're upset right now, but-"

A bitter laugh interrupted whatever he had been going to say – Hiashi himself didn't really know.

"Yes, I'm _upset_, that's it!"

Abruptly Neji threw the clothes he'd been holding at the wall opposite with a violent motion, and dropped down onto the bed, burying his face in his hands as he fought for composure. Hiashi stayed silent and finally, Neji looked up again.

"I'm going, uncle. And I'm taking my son and my daughter with me. I will come back – I know my duty to my clan, but right now, I think the clan can do without me for a short period of time."

Uncle and nephew waited in silence for Lee to arrive and an hour later, as he and Neji set off to the hospital, Hiashi simply stayed quiet – he'd find some way to explain this to the elders in the morning. For now he'd let Neji go as far away as he needed to. He stared at his nephew's retreating figure, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, the plan he and Tenten had devised wouldn't be necessary. Maybe, for once, Neji would be able to escape his chains with ease. But, being the pragmatic man he was, Hiashi doubted it and so he set off to his study to begin the necessary preparations.

* * *

Dawn was just breaking when Lee and Neji made it into the screening branches of the forest just outside Konoha's gates, both burdened with a baby and a bag. Neji activated his Byakugan and jerked his head at Lee to show which direction they should travel in.

"You know what to do?" Neji asked in a low voice, and Lee nodded, his voice cracking a bit when he replied.

"Yes. Gai-sensei is awaiting me at the village gates; he encountered no signs of anyone watching for you while we were fetching the babies, or he would've signalled us. As soon as we return we'll begin spreading the news that Tenten is dead. We will not fail you, Neji – rest assured."

They headed deeper into the trees in total silence, until Neji came to an abrupt halt – his eyes detecting something that was invisible to Lee. A shadow detached itself from the deepest recesses at the far end of the clearing they'd stopped in, and moved swiftly toward them.

"Thank Kami," Tenten breathed, as she threw her arms around both Lee and Neji simultaneously, drawing them all into one hug. She raised her head to Neji's and he pressed a swift, hard kiss to her lips, before drawing back.

"Come. Let me introduce you to your son and daughter."

Tenten's smile seemed to light up every corner of the dark forest as she reached out to both bundles, but Lee cleared his throat anxiously.

"I hate to interrupt, but you should leave _now_."

Tenten nodded, and quickly took the bag Lee had been carrying and once it was safely on her back, Lee slowly handed over the sleeping baby he'd been carrying with a sigh of heartfelt relief. He turned to go, but Tenten reached out and grabbed his hand pulling him into a tight, one-armed hug.

"Lee – thank you," she said, softly against his shoulder.

Lee nodded, squeezing her tightly, his dark eyes filled with tears. He turned and grasped Neji's hand, "We will not fail,'' he repeated his earlier words in a low voice.

Neji's quiet, "Thank you, Lee" was aimed at his already retreating back.

"Come on," Neji said, turning to the east, "we should reach our destination before the sun rises properly."

Tenten nodded, and silently followed him into the gloom. Soon she would be able to rest – they would have time to properly decide on a plan of action – but right now it was enough that their little family was together again.

* * *

_**A/N: What are your thoughts on all the various plans xD? Do Tenten and Neji stand a chance of outrunning the elders? Is Hiashi to be trusted or is Tenten making the mistake of a lifetime? Let me know what you thought!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited! Your response has been amazing ^^ I really hope that you all enjoy this chapter – and that the story isn't boring. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

Tenten sighed blissfully as she lowered her aching body into the warm water. They'd been travelling non-stop for the last week – Neji had refused to stop for longer than a day in any one place. But, mere hours before, they'd reached a forgotten little village on the border of Fire Country, and Neji had finally decided that they were far enough away to risk an extended stay. He had managed to procure a small cottage on the outskirts of the village, and though Tenten knew that it was a far cry from the luxury of the Hyuuga compound, or even the relative comfort of her old apartment, he never complained.

She sighed again as she reached up to undo her hair. _It doesn't matter how far away we run, they will find us eventually. How much longer is Hiashi going to make me wait? Every hour could make a difference for Neji and the twins. _Her frustrated thoughts quickly evaporated in the steam from the hot water and Tenten decided that, for now, she would just _not_ think. She just wanted a little normality – just a little time in which to enjoy herself.

Her thoughts turned to the children and she couldn't help the soft smile that lit her features. Neji had named them in the few short hours of their forced separation – the longest hours of her life – and she'd had to agree with his choices. Haru for their son, and Himiko for their daughter: Haru because the twins had been born in the spring, and Himiko because sunlight and spring fit together perfectly.

Suddenly Tenten wanted nothing more than to be with them all and she quickly began to wash her hair. Even though the twins were with Neji and she'd made sure that they were fed and changed before she'd gone to take a bath, she couldn't help but worry.

She hastily pulled on a robe, and yanked the bathroom door open, still rubbing a towel across her hair but she stopped dead in her tracks at the scene that greeted her. Neji was fast asleep on his back, his hair spread loosely across the pillows. Himiko rested on top of Neji - nestled into his chest, on her stomach with her thumb seated firmly in her small, pink mouth, while Haru was sleeping peacefully against his father's side, one small hand tangled in Neji's hair.

Smiling softly through the sentimental tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes, Tenten slowly made her way over to them and slipped quietly into the bed. She stared at the slumbering trio for a long time before exhaustion overwhelmed her and she finally slept too.

* * *

The weeks passed peacefully enough – routine was quickly established. In fact, Neji was dealing so well with the daily demands of small babies that Tenten couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't substituting his real self with a clone. They almost always fed the twins together and the new father was becoming quite adept at holding a bottle to the right angle for a small mouth.

If she was honest, she had to admit that she loved this side of Neji. To his children he was more open than she'd ever seen him before in her life but, she had to admit, it _was_ rather disconcerting to see Neji playing childish games– she was still trying to block the images from her mind. It was as if he couldn't quite believe that the twins were real, he spent so much time stationed beside their cribs, tickling them, talking to them – she'd even once walked in on him singing softly to them after she'd taken a bath. He adamantly refused to make the usual cooing noises, though, for which she would always be grateful – he maintained that his children were intelligent beings who did not deserve to be talked down to merely because they had not yet learned to speak. Their little family was beginning to be settled in its ways – and every moment that passed convinced Tenten more than ever that she'd been right in with-holding some information from Neji.

She watched as Neji brushed a gentle finger over each of the children's cheeks in turn and the strange expression in his eyes – one she couldn't really decipher – had a rush of fierce feeling welling up in her. If nothing else, at least they'd had this precious time together – short as it may be; the happiness that lurked deep in the pearly depths of Neji's eyes made up for a lot of things.

They'd just put the twins to bed– thankfully, the cottage had a small loft, as well as a bedroom, and she and Neji had decided to give the twins the bedroom, taking the loft for themselves. She pulled the bedroom door slightly ajar after them so the light wouldn't wake the babies and, when she turned, Tenten ran smack into Neji's chest. Her eyes lifted with surprise and she felt her knees buckle at the look in his. It was a look she knew well – one that said quite blatantly that he wanted her, _now_ - and he would have her; would wait no longer.

For the umpteenth time in many years she wondered how on earth that worked – how she could find it so incredibly attractive to be dominated. She'd always prided herself on her skills _and_ her femininity - she had yet to be outdone by any man – but Neji… oh, Kami, Neji was a different story altogether. She revelled in his dominance – enjoyed how he made her feel small and helpless.

His eyes blazed into hers – another mystery: how such light eyes could ever be anything but cold – and Neji reached out a hand, sliding his knuckles along her cheek, before his hand slipped under her hair to caress the nape of her neck, and Tenten found herself involuntarily leaning in. Their lips met, and the kiss spiraled out of control with all the violence and suddenness of a forest fire. _It's been far too long_, Tenten thought incoherently, and by the urgent way Neji ran his mouth and his hands over every inch of skin he could find, she knew he felt the same way.

Neji's hands slipped under her shirt, tracing along the contours of her body and, just as she was beginning to lose herself to the sensation of his hands on her bare skin, a small, gurgling noise from one of the babies joined the sounds of wet mouths, and panted breaths, and they both reacted instinctively. When Tenten gained her breath again, she and Neji were standing on opposite sides of the room, guiltily staring at the door, as if they were fifteen again, and an adult had walked in on their heated kiss.

Silence reigned and gradually they both relaxed. Moving toward Neji she couldn't help the low laugh that bubbled from her throat at their absurdity. He reached for her hand, and brushed his lips along her palm, "Maybe we should take this upstairs," he whispered, and Tenten could only nod her helpless agreement. Against Neji she had no defence.

* * *

Neji had long since fallen asleep, but Tenten was still wide awake. She slowly slid out of the bed and pulled on some clothes, using every skill in her arsenal to make sure that Neji remained obliviously asleep. She slipped down the stairs, and quickly peeked in on the twins but they were sleeping quietly and she didn't touch them, lest they made a noise and woke Neji up. He'd always been a light sleeper but since the addition of the twins to their little household, he had become even more sensitive to the slightest sound. Tenten had jokingly dubbed it his twin alarm – she woke instinctively but by the time she'd realized she was awake and that they needed her, Neji had usually already reached their cribs.

She eased the front door open as softly as possible and, once she was outside, she made her way to the stile at the end of the road swiftly. He wouldn't be there, just as he hadn't been there the last few nights, and she wanted to get back home as quickly as possible. She felt his chakra long before she saw his shadowy features as he stepped out from beneath the screening branches of an old tree, and she swore softly in one continuous stream. Tenten came to a halt in front of him, and Hiashi gave her a disapproving look.

"I sincerely hope you refrain from using such language in front of the children," was all he said by way of greeting, and Tenten shot him a dirty look.

Finally, she sighed and said, "I had begun to hope that you would never come."

Hiashi looked away, and even in the moonlight Tenten could see the regret that painted his features.

"You are prepared?" he asked at last, and Tenten nodded.

Hiashi inclined his head slightly, "Tenten, are you sure that you're able to perform the jutsu?" he asked again, sternly.

"_Yes_," Tenten responded, just a hint of impatience in her voice, and Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's a reason it's forbidden and that's not just because of the nature of the technique," he reminded her, "if performed incorrectly it could cost you your life."

"I _know_," Tenten snapped back, "You don't have to remind me – and I've practiced it every chance I got, so please stop worrying – I know what is required of me, _and_ the risks involved."

For a long time Hiashi merely looked at her before he spoke again, "I have stalled them as long as I can. They will be here within the next week."

Tenten closed her eyes, "So soon?" she whispered.

Hiashi's voice was laced with sympathy when he said, "It's not forever, Tenten – the plan _will _work, I promise you that. And it is a preferable alternative to being separated from Neji and your children."

She opened her eyes and nodded, "Yes, it's the only way – you're right, of course. And, if all goes according to plan, it shouldn't take much longer than a year, right?" She stared anxiously up at the Hyuuga clan head and he placed a deliberate hand on her shoulder.

"Tenten, it will work because I will make it work. Your family will be safe. Once this is all over, no one will be able to separate you ever again." He stared intently into her eyes, and Tenten couldn't help it – couldn't help trusting him, couldn't help but have faith in the confidence she saw in his eyes.

"I trust you," she whispered, at last, and Hiashi nodded. "I just hope that Neji will be able to forgive me once everything is said and done," she couldn't keep the slight quiver from her voice and Hiashi smiled slightly – a smirk so reminiscent of Neji's that Tenten felt her heart contract.

"You know, far better than I, that Neji does not trust or give his love easily, but when he does, the action has no reservation – and no limit. He will be angry – furious, murderous probably – but because it's _you_ he will eventually come to forgiveness. But you will have to give him time for that – and, right now, that's still far in the future," he frowned, "For now, I need you to concentrate on the task at hand – you need to be ready – I judge they will make their move by the end of the week, and I can't promise that I'll be able to give you more warning than that."

Tenten took a shaky breath, "I'll be ready."

Hiashi stared searchingly into her eyes before he nodded, satisfied by the resolve he found in her steady gaze, and he turned to go. He'd only gone a few steps when Tenten called after him, "Hiashi-sama – why are you doing this? Why are you helping us? Helping _me_?" She stared at him curiously, not really expecting a reply, but to her surprise he turned slightly.

Staring up at the sky, Hiashi said softly, so softly she had to strain to hear, "He was my brother – and I couldn't save him. I will not let Hizashi's son suffer any more than he already has. Not for archaic clan ideals – not if I can do anything to change that."

She was still staring in shocked surprise when Hiashi made the hand signs. In a nearly silent breath of wind, he was gone. For a long time Tenten remained rooted to the spot – if she'd had any doubts about trusting Neji's uncle before this, his heartfelt admission would've convinced her that, in Hiashi-sama at least, they had an unshakeable ally.

* * *

_One week later…_

What exactly had woken him Neji could not say, but the cold feeling of fear that spread along his spine warned him that all was not as it should be. Instinctively he reached for Tenten but her side of the bed was empty, though the sheets still retained her warmth and so he knew she hadn't been gone long.

The creeping feeling that had the hairs on his arms rising wouldn't abate and Neji slowly swung his feet to the floor, and headed for the stairs, scooping up a shirt as he went and pulling it over his head. The house was quiet, dark – the pre-dawn unbroken by any sound – and abruptly Neji realized that something was definitely wrong since the birds weren't even singing. His stride lengthened and seconds later he stood in front of the children's door. He slowly pushed the door open, using it to screen his body.

There was nothing there – no one stood in front of the cots, and the babies were quiet, but Neji couldn't shake the feeling that all was not as it should be. He swiftly walked to the cots, and his hands clenched around the slats in fear when he saw Haru's empty bed. Had Tenten taken him?

Before Neji had even begun to gather his frantic thoughts – for once in his life he was utterly unable to settle on a course of action – a low voice spoke up from behind him, a voice that bore the cracks of age.

"He looks just like you did at this age."

Neji's hands tightened on the wooden rails, his Byakugan – forgotten in the panic of moments before - activating almost by instinct. He could feel the chakra pulsing through his veins, wanting to push out through his hands, but he miraculously managed to gain control over his reactions and turned around slowly.

An old man with long, gray hair sat on the rocking chair by the window; Haru cradled in his arms, the baby thankfully fast asleep. Neji tried to move as surreptiously as possible and slowly inched sideways so that his body screened Himiko from view. Intently, he watched the man's reaction, not missing the disapproval radiating from the elder Hyuuga.

"You've grown soft – you should have activated your Byakugan long before this," his voice radiated disdain, "so much for your vaunted genius. I should have come long before this; I can only hope that the damage isn't irreparable."

Neji couldn't help the grimace that spread over his face – since he'd been a small child this man had known exactly which buttons to push. It was like he enjoyed breaking Neji's characteristic stoicism. Taking a deep breath Neji forced his expression to blankness, and merely stared expectantly at the older man.

The old man raised his eyes again, the pupil-less gaze completely blank, and Neji felt his skin crawl with fear. He slowly raised his arms, and took a step toward them, "Give me my son," he said softly but the steel in his voice did not go unnoticed by the old man who smirked slightly.

Neji cleared his throat and tried to modify his tone, until he had Haru safely away from the old man he could not risk making him angry.

"Give Haru to me," Neji paused slightly, "please, Grandfather."

* * *

_**a/n: The plot thickens xD … please let me know what you thought! I love hearing your thoughts and speculations ^^**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who was incredible enough to review! I'm really sorry it took so long to update … I honestly don't know where August went! xD But I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter and please don't forget to let me know what you thought!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

Time seemed to stand still as Neji tried to stare his grandfather down – tried to _will _the old man to hand Haru over. Finally, the older Hyuuga laughed – a low grating sound that seemed hopelessly out of place coming from the man's stern features.

"I don't think that would be wise," he said, "you see, Neji, should I hand the child over, you will have all the advantage - the advantage of speed and youth - and you would, no doubt, be halfway through your 128 palms before I even managed to form the hand seals for the activation of your curse seal."

Neji's eyes narrowed, "You can't – Hiashi-sama-"

"Is not here," came the smooth interruption, followed swiftly with condescension, "simply because I no longer bear the title of clan head does not mean that I've forgotten the seals reserved for that position."

The typical Hyuuga calm on the old man's face convinced Neji that he was deadly serious: his grandfather _would_ use the curse seal against him if he had to. Slowly, Neji edged toward the window – for now the best he could hope for was to keep Himiko out of harm's way while he worked on how to get Haru away from the clan elder. Neji had never really thought of his grandfather in terms of family, the man was much too unyielding and stern for that, and now he firmly told himself to simply think of the old man as a cunning enemy – to ignore the Hyuuga eyes and the tug of a familial bond.

"Where's Tenten?" Neji asked finally, hoping to distract his grandfather's attention from his surreptious movements.

"She has been … persuaded …. to take on the mission she was assigned in the first place. Hiashi has taken her to the border."

A slight smirk graced the wrinkled lines of his grandfather's face and Neji had to fight against the emotions that wanted to show on his.

"You didn't honestly think this plan would work, did you?"

Neji sighed, "I didn't think you'd catch up so soon," he replied through gritted teeth, his mind frantically searching for a way out, "we were planning on being caught eventually – and, of course, we'd be ready for you then, but I didn't think the clan would be this anxious to have me back."

His grandfather stood slowly, joints creaking with age, and walked toward Neji, who briefly considered simply taking his son back but decided against it for fear of harming the child. The older man drew level with Neji and paused.

"It does not do for the heir apparent to be away from his people for too long, Neji," he said quietly, and then he had passed. "Now, take your daughter and whatever you will need for the journey – it's time we were going."

At the door the old man turned and raised his eyebrows questioningly at Neji who had been rooted to the spot in shock.

"Come, we don't have all day," he said imperiously, but Neji simply shook his head in confusion.

For a long moment he stood frozen in place as the full impact of his grandfather's words sunk in. Neji could feel the blood draining from his already pale features and he was unable to suppress the astonishment that had his eyes widening.

"Heir?" he whispered as comprehension slowly dawned, "so that's why…" and the realization burned like dry ice, the implications still coated in unreality that, to his dismay, was slowly receding.

But his grandfather was already out the door and for now there was nothing he could do for Tenten – not while their son was held firmly in Hyuuga hands. Decision made, Neji quickly spun around and picked a sleeping Himiko out of her cradle before he followed after his grandfather. Right now, his children had to come before all else.

* * *

"You're sure this will work?" Tenten asked anxiously as she watched Hiashi scanning their surroundings with the Byakugan.

"It will work," he answered patiently, though slight annoyance was beginning to be audible in his tone and Tenten swallowed and stayed quiet.

At last Hiashi sighed and straightened, "The Byakugan sees chakra – you know this. Therefore, any technique that requires a constant flow of chakra – that needs to be maintained by the user – will be easily visible. But this technique only uses chakra in the initial stages, thus, as long as you suppress your chakra so that Neji doesn't recognize it and don't bring attention to yourself, it will work."

He deactivated the Byakugan - the coast seemed to be clear - and Tenten allowed her attention to settle on the yellowed and rather battered scroll Hiashi pulled from inside the folds of his cloak. With rapt, and rather nervous, attention she watched as he laid it gently on the ground and spread it open carefully. The parchment was covered with strange symbols and writing that Tenten had never seen, but in the very middle of the scroll, she recognized the kanji for 'Seal'.

A tingling ran across her senses – the kind of tingling that she'd come to associate with chakra being gathered - and her attention shifted back to Hiashi, just in time to catch the last hand seal forming. The smoke obscured her vision for a moment but when it cleared Tenten had to fight against the urge to recoil.

The summoned corpse lay pale and perfectly preserved in front of the spread scroll. The Hyuuga woman's features were peaceful in repose and Tenten swallowed the nausea that threatened at the idea of violating the woman's rest.

Suddenly aware of Hiashi's gaze on her again, she gave herself a stern mental shake. Her voice was unwavering when she spoke, "Who was she?"

"Just another unfortunate victim of the Bunke laws of the Hyuuga," Hiashi answered, his tone cold and remote. "Who and what she was is not of any importance. What is important is the fact that she's just about the same height and build as you."

Tenten nodded as if his words made perfect sense but she'd barely heard any of it – her skin wouldn't stop crawling and the off-hand way Hiashi spoke of the dead woman wasn't helping. The sound of her name, spoken sharply, drew her from her musings and, reluctantly, Tenten forced herself to listen.

"I doubt anyone will remember her but, just to be safe, we'll use a basic henge technique to alter small aspects of your new appearance after the transformation is complete." Hiashi stared at Tenten expectantly but she merely returned his gaze blankly, until he finally motioned irritably toward the body.

"We don't have all the time in the world to contemplate the morality of what we are doing," he snapped at her.

Jumping slightly Tenten focused her thoughts firmly on Neji and her children to try and shake the uncomfortable feeling. She took a deep breath and knelt down next to the body. Spreading her hands out mere centimetres above the woman's clothes – one in the direction of the dead Hyuuga's face and the other pointing towards her feet – Tenten firmly focused on gathering her chakra, on perfecting the level of control that the technique demanded. She emptied her mind and, after a few moments, drew her hands slowly together over the woman's middle.

_Tiger, rat…_ her concentration was absolute and she focused only on the jutsu, on her chakra. When the seals were complete she bent and placed an outstretched palm over the woman's features in a smooth movement and gasped when she felt the strong tug of chakra on her own.

Shakily Tenten sat back when the tingling on her face faded away and turned an expectant gaze towards the Hyuuga clan head.

"Well done," Hiashi said approvingly, leaning over her to inspect her face. Tenten grimaced.

"One look at me with his Byakugan and Neji will know I'm a fake," she pointed out again.

Hiashi glared at her in exasperation, "Are you such a sub-standard kunoichi that you are unable to sufficiently mask your chakra? If you suppress it well enough there will not be any reason for Neji to become suspicious and train his Byakugan on you. As I've explained numerous times – good servants are not seen nor heard, and no Hyuuga will notice them unless they create a disturbance. Now, stop worrying about avoidable circumstances and get ready to change the smaller details. "

It still seemed awfully risky to Tenten but she reminded herself for the millionth time that she was doing this so that they could live in peace after – any risk was super-ceded by the threat to Neji and the children's lives. She nodded and slowly got to her feet.

It seemed an interminable time before Hiashi was satisfied. He made her alter the shape of her eyes just slightly, her mouth was a little fuller, her nose a bit longer, her cheekbones just a tad sharper and her chin just slightly more angular. They left her long hair the same - straight and so dark that it was almost black. After each and every adjustment Hiashi inspected the change carefully, from every angle, until he was satisfied with the result.

Finally, he sighed and stepped back, nodding approvingly, "I don't see that there's anything left to do – you're completely unrecognizable."

Tenten breathed out harshly in relief, automatically blowing at bangs she no longer had. "I just don't see why we can't tell Neji," she began again, well aware that she was pushing her luck but unable to keep the wistful thought from being voiced.

"Because the less he knows the safer he'll be!" Hiashi's voice whipped over her, "if they suspect him of any more foul play they will not hesitate to use the curse mark as a method to discover the truth – and you do not – _cannot_ – understand the pain of that. It makes a person lose all sense of self. He will answer – not because he wants to, or because he's forced to, but because he will not even be aware of speaking through the pain. The seal is wired to the brain in a way to ensure complete control after all."

Tenten nodded, and without another word got to her feet. The thought of Neji in that much pain was enough to strengthen her resolve all over again.

"Now," Hiashi eyed her sternly, "most of the elders are waiting in the forest about one kilometer to the north. Melt silently into the group and await me there."

Swiftly she turned on her heel and disappeared into the trees – moving as fast as she could, because she was unable to stop the hot tears from overflowing and she didn't want Hiashi to bear witness to her momentary weakness.

* * *

Hiashi's appearance did not go unnoticed by Neji, as they swiftly made their way through the trees, but he ignored his uncle and firmly focused on his grandfather's back, as the latter led the way down the slightly overgrown path, still holding Haru.

The silence hung thick in the air, and they only stopped when the twins started fussing. They settled in a small clearing and Neji handed Himiko to his startled uncle with a terse, "Hold her while I get their bottles."

Hiashi still looked like he was trying to sort out which end of the baby was up when Neji pushed a bottle into his hands.

"Feed her," he commanded, "I can't do both at once."

The two men sat in silence while the babies drank their bottles and it was only when the eldest Hyuuga wandered away to inspect the path ahead that Hiashi spoke up.

"I know that you are angry but we will have to talk once we're back in Konoha – you will need to accept your role."

Neji's voice was without inflection when he replied, "Heir. So I understand. Thank you but no. I have no role other than being a father to my children. As soon as we are back I will see Tsunade-sama and Tenten-"

"Fool!" his grandfather had rejoined them and Neji closed his eyes as he struggled for patience – struggled against the urge to simply lash out in violence against these people who had ruined his life systematically time and again.

"What can you accomplish by doing that? The girl has been offered a mission and she's accepted it. Her life is in her own hands now – surrounded as she is by Cloud-nin. It's best that you forget her – she has her role to play, as do you."

Hiashi spoke up, "Tenten has behaved as an honorable Konoha kunoichi should – she now accepts and acknowledges her duty to the village and has, accordingly, begun the mission she was assigned whether she liked it or not. You would do well to follow her example and forget the past."

For some unfathomable reason Neji felt compelled to lift his gaze to his uncle's and his eyes narrowed slightly when Hiashi stared at him intently.

"Look to the future, Neji," his uncle said, with a strange inflection in his voice.

_What is he trying to tell me? _Neji wondered, but his grandfather stood and interrupted the small, tense moment.

"Come. This is all the time we can spare – the rest of the escort will be waiting not far from here."

At these words the last shreds of hope that Neji had been nursing – the last wild thoughts of somehow getting away and catching up to Tenten – faded completely and, in age old habit, he forced himself to harden against the emotions roiling through him.

As every time before, he had been unable to escape his fate.

* * *

They reached the Hyuuga compound late in the afternoon a week later, and Neji stared expressionlessly up at the familiar gates. In the last week he had slowly come to the realization that there was no way out for him – not this time. This time he could not even hold on to the faint hope that there would eventually be some way to change the fate that awaited him.

Neji's stoic expression didn't waver, and he acknowledged silently that it had been Tenten who had softened him - Tenten who had made him believe in the better tomorrow that he so longed for. But, in the end, it had all just been childish dreams. He was a Hyuuga and it was high time that he stopped wasting energy on useless defiance, and simply accepted that this was his allotted place in life.

He barely heard Hinata's whispered words of condolence – in fact he'd nearly forgotten that most of the village thought Tenten dead. He didn't even flinch away from the comforting hand his cousin laid on his arm.

He followed dumbly after a visibly trembling Hinata, as she carried Himiko to the bedroom next to his. The door slid open to reveal a makeshift nursery of sorts and Hinata spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Neji-nii-san, this was the best we could do on such short notice – but given time-"

"This is sufficient, Hinata-sama," Neji cut her off impatiently, too caught up in the darkness of his thoughts to notice her recoil at the return of the iciness in his voice – iciness that had been conspicuously absent in the last few years when he spoke to her.

Hinata flushed and quickly turned to leave. At the door she waited for her father, who had followed her into the room, but he gestured for her to go and she quickly slid the door shut behind her.

"Neji," Hiashi began slowly, "you have your duty to your clan, your duty to yourself, your duty to your father's memory – but do not let the heavy duties that an accident of birth laid on you detract from the most important duty of them all – the duty to your children. If you allow the anger and the bitterness to consume you now – when you've finally overcome the hatred of your past – then you will be useless to them. You cannot allow the events of the past week to kill your spirit. I know that you love Tenten, but you must look beyond that and live – for your children and for your clan – because a leader that has no emotion and can see nothing but darkness will be of no use to us at all."

Hiashi slipped out the door, and for a long moment Neji remained where he was before laying Haru down next to his sister in the cradle with a deep sigh.

"If that's not the kind of leader you were looking for, then you should never have come after me, Hiashi-sama," he whispered.

* * *

The twins were finally settled for the night and Neji quietly made his way to his bed in the darkness. He'd had no choice but to accept the help of the unknown Hyuuga woman his uncle had assigned to 'assist' him with the twins but he had to admit that another set of hands had been helpful tonight.

Neji dragged his clothes off without any thought for where they fell and sank down onto his old bed with a sigh of relief. He was so tired that he barely even had time to register the uncomfortable feeling of going to sleep without Tenten next to him before his eyes closed and he slid mercifully into unconsciousness.

A slight sound drew Tenten to a halt outside Neji's bedroom door. She glanced guiltily around before she leaned her ear against the door – any little sound of his presence would be enough - it had been sheer torture to stand there and pretend to be a just another meek Hyuuga servant when Neji and the twins had finally made their appearance.

Much to Tenten's surprise Hiashi had been right – she hadn't been discovered because no Hyuuga in their right mind paid any attention to the hired help. Still, thankful though she was that this part of the plan had gone without a hitch, she'd begun to rethink the whole thing when she'd seen the coldness – the remoteness – in Neji's eyes. She hadn't seen him look that way since they were genin – and she'd known that Neji was retreating deep into himself. Every instinct in her body had yearned to touch him, to bring life back to the empty pearlescent depths, but miraculously she'd managed to restrain herself. There was too much at stake here, and she'd always known that she would have to hurt Neji to save him – she just hadn't thought it would feel this terrible.

The noise sounded again and Tenten strained her hearing. She could hear Neji tossing and turning, the sheets sliding against the mattress and around his body. She could hear the muffled grunt as he flipped over onto his back. She could hear the soft sounds of his voice as he mumbled something unintelligible.

Then, clear as day, she heard her name.

Her name breathed on a sigh of so much mingled hurt, anger and wistfulness that her knees buckled and Tenten slowly slid to the floor, holding on to the door to keep from curling into a little ball of pain. The tears came and spilled relentlessly in silent streams.

_I'm here, Neji. You don't see me … but I'm here…_

* * *

_**a/n: Barely any changes to this one … but what did you think? Please review and let me know!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Thank you so much for all of the reviews/alerts/favorites! I'm so sorry the update took so long (especially since I really only had to edit a bit) but life has been hectic and my muse was absolutely obsessed with one of my other stories, Heaven xD**_

_**In accordance with the newly enforced M-rated standards I edited some of the smexiness in this chapter – I really didn't want to change the section at all so I simply deleted the sections I thought might be seen as too explicit but … meh, I dunno if it worked out. If it sucks, I do apologize but please don't report me … I'm pretty sure it meets the criteria now xD**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

There were more people than Tenten would ever have guessed attending her 'memorial service'. All in black and with a mournful air; it was the strangest experience of her life. Guilt mingled with sorrow as she watched Ino and Sakura making their way up to the pedestal, where Neji stood next to a closed casket, to lay blood-red roses on top of the gleaming oak.

Squeamishly, she couldn't help but wonder if the coffin was empty or if Hiashi had conjured another body from somewhere to masquerade as her own. In the carry-chair at her feet Haru started to fuss and she quickly bent to quiet him; relieved that she had a reason to tear her gaze away from the spectacle at the front of the hall.

Since she was an orphan all the arrangements for her funeral had fallen to Neji, and Tenten couldn't help but suspect that he'd taken a sadistic pleasure in arranging a traditional Hyuuga burial for her. The elders couldn't be happy that he was using the Hyuuga hall, the Hyuuga cemetery, and all the small pieces of ceremony that was part and parcel of any Hyuuga funeral. But Tenten understood all too well. It was Neji's way of lashing out at the clan and the council; his way of making a last stand of independence: she wasn't a Hyuuga but if he'd had his way she would've been one day and now he buried her as one. Whether they liked it or not. Of course, he had them over a barrel there: they couldn't very well deny him this, not without appearing unduly interested in the entire matter and risk leaking any of the secrets that surrounded the not-so-usual circumstances of one single Bunke member.

Haru had fallen asleep again and reluctantly Tenten turned her attention back to Neji. He stood cool and aloof from it all - seemingly sunk deep within his thoughts. His attire had caused some raised eyebrows; mostly from the elders. Instead of his usual Hyuuga robes he was clad in black pants and a black shirt over the usual shinobi mesh, but most telling of all, he'd reverted back to the bandages of his youth. Clearly another slap in the face for the clan: as far as he was able Neji was making it apparent that he was decidedly unimpressed with his new role and the clan's actions.

Most of the mourners that passed him with murmured words of condolence – Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Chouji, they seemed to come in a single stream of people – did not seem to think anything of his distracted air. Merely chalked it up to grief and moved on, but even from her place at the very back of the room, Tenten could see the way Neji silently vibrated with rage. Maybe you had to know him well to be able to pick up on the signs; throughout their loud, staged sobs Lee and Gai both kept shooting him worried looks, clearly afraid that he would explode with no warning.

At last the line began to dwindle until there were no more people left and without a backward glance toward the casket, or the lavish flower arrangements that Tenten had helped Hinata prepare, Neji stalked down the aisle and out into the bleak afternoon sunlight.

Tenten rose and picked up the carry-cot holding Haru as she followed Hinata carrying Himiko. She breathed a big sigh of relief once they were outside again, though Neji was nowhere to be seen, and lowered her eyes respectfully when Hinata shot her an enquiring glance but did not give any reason for the gesture. How on earth was she supposed to explain the mingled emotions that came from attending your own fake funeral? The guilt, the sadness, the unfairness of the entire situation … there were no words to describe her current predicament and so Tenten did not even bother to try and formulate a lie.

* * *

"What is required of a branch member?"

"To serve and protect," Neji replied wearily. The day had been long, his new ANBU tattoo still itched, and he wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a warm bed. Instead, he was closeted in Hiashi's study with his uncle firing relentless questions at him, surrounded by scrolls that revealed the history of the Hyuuga.

"What is required of all Hyuuga?"

Hiashi frowned warningly at Neji, who straightened up automatically and replied as if by rote.

"To honor our proud name, and safeguard the secret of our strength."

Neji suppressed the urge to simply get up and leave. In the past few months he'd experienced a previously unknown level of respect within the clan but, somehow, he didn't think that his new status would impress his uncle all that much, so he grimly shook his head to clear it and focused on the task at hand.

"What is the role of the council of elders?"

"To advise the clan head with the wisdom of age and, in so doing, protect the Byakugan from all who would exploit its powers."

Neji gritted his teeth; the elders were not his favorite topic of discussion at the moment. Did his uncle intend on going through every aspect of the Hyuuga clan? It was already late and he'd not seen Haru or Himiko yet that day – or much at all in the last couple of weeks. Neji suppressed the stab of guilt at the thought. This was not the kind of relationship he wished to have with his children. It was becoming reminiscent of his own childhood prior to his father's death: only once he'd been old enough to be instructed in the ways of the Byakugan had his father really become an integral part of his life.

Thankfully the sooty-haired woman his uncle had employed as a nurse was proving to be worth her salt. She managed the twins very well on her own, but despite her obvious competence, and the twins' happiness, Neji couldn't help gritting his teeth again. This was not what Tenten would've wanted – she would hate the idea of leaving the care of her children to the hired help. Neji sighed under his breath, his mind completely preoccupied with thoughts that were completely unrelated to the questions he was answering. Much as he disliked leaving the twins himself, he couldn't see any way around it – and there were worse candidates for the position.

Still, there was something about the woman … he continually forgot her name, no matter how often she reminded him in a soft voice – lower than the only female voice he was really used to in close proximity – and with eyes downcast. Neji frowned as he searched his memory for the elusive name. _Chiyoko, wasn't it?_ There was something about her that was almost … familiar …

"Neji!" Hiashi slapped a hand down on the desk between them, and Neji met his uncle's censorious gaze unflinchingly.

"Please answer the question," Hiashi said, still frowning as he leaned back in his chair. Neji grimaced in concentration as he tried to recall what the question had been.

"The clan head is the last line of defence in the protection of the Byakugan. It is his duty and honor to protect the clan. For him this protection is more ideological than applied: he protects the bloodline that will lead the clan forever into prosperity. He leads the people through example and must rule with great wisdom to ensure the survival of the traditions. He stands at the head of the clan council and his word can only be overruled by a unanimous vote from the elders."

Hiashi nodded approvingly and, after a moment spent in thought, he dropped the scroll he was holding and steepled his fingers under his chin. "How is ANBU treating you?" he stared intently at his nephew who sighed impatiently.

"Well enough," Neji replied shortly. Truth be told, he didn't have an opinion about his ANBU squad one way or the other. He'd been part of the elite organization for less than 3 months before he'd been assigned to lead a team (he suspected the clan had something to do with that) but for the most part he found it … unsettling. Never before had he used his Byakugan so dishonorably. The advanced eyesight combined with his Gentle Fist made him an ideal assassin but there was something about sneaking up on his enemies and killing them silently with a swift tap to the heart that went against the grain. Still, if taken purely on the facts in the mission reports, his time with ANBU had been a rousing success thus far. His abilities aided greatly in infiltration and Konoha had managed to gain large amounts of information they had previously been lacking.

His uncle was still waiting expectantly and Neji elaborated reluctantly, "I cannot say that it is a dream come true and, once I leave, I doubt I would ever return. But, for now, it's not the worst thing I could be doing, and I have had the chance to refine my techniques which is something, at least."

His uncle nodded approvingly again and Neji cocked an eyebrow slightly to indicate his surprise with the reaction.

"It would not do, Neji, for a Hyuuga, and the heir no less, to enjoy being in such a subservient position but as long as you are gaining something from the experience …" Hiashi leaned back in his chair again and silence reigned for a long moment before his uncle abruptly spoke again, "You will join me at the next council meeting. It is time for you to accept some responsibility within the clan."

Neji frowned, "Responsibility?" he asked, sharply. Really, how much more responsibility did his uncle think he needed?

But Hiashi raised a hand to silence Neji and said, "Responsibilities that will be decided at that time."

Finally, Neji nodded slowly. What choice did he really have after all? Hiashi picked up a scroll again, and began reading, but Neji knew better than to simply take his cue and leave – you waited for the clan head to dismiss you.

"You may go," Hiashi murmured at last.

Neji inclined his head respectfully and stood to go.

As Hiashi watched his nephew leave his office he couldn't help but marvel at the arrogance inherent to the boy. No matter whom he faced, clan head or Hokage, there was something in Neji's disdainful gaze that made the recipient feel they should be honored by his attention.

At the door Neji paused – dismissed or not he had questions he was determined Hiashi would answer sooner or later.

"Hiashi-sama. Why did you choose me for your successor? Why did the council decide to back your decision?" His voice was quiet but he knew his uncle had heard him, knew that his uncle read beneath the words to the actual implications. Neji hoped his uncle's mood was as accommodating as it appeared – he didn't need more bland answers about his strength.

Silence descended and Neji was about to leave when a rustle of papers and a deep sigh stopped him.

"I chose you because you were most suited. It is my duty to ensure that the clan is protected after I am gone, after all. The council has never been particularly happy with the fact that I had been unable to provide the usual male heir. It became a case of doing what was best for the protection of the Byakugan."

Neji turned slowly to face his uncle, arching a sceptical eyebrow, "My blood is tainted," he stated bluntly, "surely that consideration came above all else. Even a female heir is preferable to the blood of the Bunke. We're second-class citizens, after all. Hardly the stuff kings are made of." He was well aware that he failed to totally hide the bitterness, that even after all this time refused to be buried totally, but the words had been spoken and could not be recalled.

Hiashi stared at his nephew reprovingly, "You know well enough that the archaic ideal of having a Hyuuga 'king' has long since fallen into disuse – and don't be ridiculous. The council may be steeped in tradition but they aren't fools. Of course they are more than aware that the idea of a second child's blood being inferior to the firsts' is biologically impossible."

Without another word Hiashi returned his attention to the scroll spread in front of him and, though he now had more questions than answers, Neji turned to leave. He knew better than to push his luck, after all. Hiashi would say no more, that much was apparent.

Neji entered the darkened bedroom on silent feet, and stood over the sleeping children for a long moment before reaching out to lightly touch each of their soft cheeks. Regretfully he reflected on the small amount of time he'd seen them awake in the last while. They were growing so quickly; it seemed as if each day he missed had wrought more changes.

He became aware of a presence at his shoulder, and quickly glanced up to affirm his suspicions. The moonlight played across the dull charcoal hair, gilding it lightly, and Neji distractedly decided that it was a definite improvement. But in the presence of his son and daughter the woman could not hold his attention for long and soon the two adults stood in a companionable silence as they stared at the sleeping babies.

Thoughts of Tenten swirled aimlessly in Neji's mind but he ruthlessly suppressed them and tried to focus on what was in front of him. She kept sneaking up on him like this – he kept on thinking things like 'Tenten would've liked that' or 'Tenten should see this' and no matter how often he reminded himself that he was better off resigning her to the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind, he found that he couldn't forget her entirely. For example, right now, the memory of her was so clear that he could almost smell the scent of her favorite perfume in the air around him. Neji frowned, his attention mostly focused on the twins but a part of his mind noting that the imaginary perfume-scent was intermingled with a much more ordinary laundry detergent one.

Haru gurgled and they both leaned closer to see if he was about to wake up, but the child merely sighed and continued to sleep, lost in his peaceful dreams – or so Neji liked to imagine. Unconsciously he'd moved closer to Chiyoko and he never even noticed that their shoulders were brushing against each other. She did, though, and nearly jumped a mile into the air. Absently Neji placed a hand on her back to steady her, never moving his finger from Himiko's firm grip and for a moment Tenten stood in a tense silence, every nerve-ending alive from the small touch. Gradually she began to relax, but when Neji's hand slid higher up her back and began to toy absentmindedly with the ends of her hair she froze again.

The gesture was so familiar it was almost obscene.

This time Neji seemed to realize that something was amiss, and he turned a questioning gaze to her. She watched his face carefully as he noted his hand on her back, his fingers tangled in her hair, but Neji merely removed his hand and expressionlessly inclined his head in silent apology. He turned swiftly and was already out the door before Tenten had taken her next breath. Sadly, she reflected that, though she lived for the small moments like these, if Neji's abstracted expression had been anything to go by, he'd already forgotten her existence by the time he'd reached the door.

* * *

_She laughed, a tinkling sound that he'd never fully appreciated before, but now it sent shivers down his spine. Her eyes sparkled as she danced lithely ahead of him, and with a slight sense of guilty pleasure Neji allowed himself to admire the curves of her body moving beneath the light cloth she favored for her clothing._ _He'd not noticed that he'd come to a complete halt but when Tenten turned slightly to shoot him a questioning look he had to fight against the blush that threatened to overwhelm him. He wasn't too sure how he felt about the changes in his teammate, or in himself. Lately he'd begun to notice her burgeoning figure, had caught himself wondering what it would feel like to touch her … kiss her…_

_His heart pounded uncomfortably whenever he had those thoughts and the feeling of losing control unsettled him so much that he had to employ meditation techniques just to calm his mind enough to be able to converse properly. Those times he was incredibly thankful for his ability to conceal his emotions, and thus far, he was sure that no one had any idea that he'd spent more than a few nights tormented by images of Tenten._

_But today was different. Somewhere between one confused dream and another Neji had decided that he had to do something – he could not take any more waiting, watching, wondering … If there was anything that he could not stand then it was inaction. He was not a coward, did not back down from any challenge and he'd never faced anything he could not overcome, yet the prospect of being alone with Tenten at their training grounds had seemed like an almost insurmountable obstacle once his decision had been made. Gai was with Lee, whose physical rehabilitation was still ongoing, his battle with Gaara finally something they could consign to the past, but old habits die hard and Neji and Tenten had been unable to stop themselves from training just as hard as they would've done had their other teammates been present._

_Neji forced himself to concentrate on the assault Tenten was launching at him, instead of staring at the way the dappled sunlight from above turned patches of her hair to reddish-gold, and when she used the wave of weapons as a screen for launching a taijutsu attack he reacted without thought._ _Using his superior strength he captured her wrists in a tight grip, forcing her hands away from his body. Blows successfully deflected, he let go and whirled in a tight circle, his movements so smooth and swift he seemed to disappear before reappearing behind a surprised Tenten._

_Neji touched his hand lightly to the middle of her back and breathed a quiet, "I win" into her ear. She shuddered lightly and suddenly it was all just too much. Normal teenaged hormonal reaction or not, he was utterly unable to cope with the feelings she aroused any longer without doing anything, and, for once, Neji reacted purely on instinct instead of analyzing every move before initiating it._ _He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around so quickly that she lost her balance and fell against him. Her hands fisted in the fabric covering his chest, and she gazed up at him in astonishment, her eyes narrowing in annoyance and her breaths falling from pink lips in quick succession as she opened her mouth to protest._

_Neji leaned in almost against his own volition and kissed her. Not softly, not slowly, not anything a first kiss should be, but to him it was perfect anyway. The feel of her mouth beneath his, the way their lips clung before parting …_

_He stared at Tenten expressionlessly, waiting for the inevitable fallout – and he would not stop her if she felt like hitting him either – he deserved it for grabbing her like that - but he never managed to complete the thought as Tenten stood on her toes to lean in and press her lips to his again …_

Neji woke slowly, the memory of their first kiss still lingering on his mouth, and he groaned as he rolled over to stare out the window. Grimly he compressed his lips in a thin line to stop the tingling as he stared sightlessly out into the night. Every time he went to sleep he had these dreams … or memories … or whatever they were. All he knew was that the constant presence of Tenten in his thoughts would never cease unless he found some way to start shutting the dreams out.

* * *

Tenten sat up and pounded her pillow back into shape but the brief moment of violence did nothing to still the electric current that still ran through her after her encounter with Neji earlier. She flopped back down, throwing her arms over her head, and took a few deep breaths. For a long moment she lay like that, staring at the ceiling, but then she pushed the covers back and quickly made her way to the small desk in the corner of her even smaller room.

The lamp barely made a dent in the darkness but the pool of light was enough to allow Tenten to scribble her short message. The task complete, she folded the paper into a small square before stealing out of the room. The corridors were dark and silent and though it would be highly unusual for any Byakugan to be activated and trained on the hallways at this time of night, Tenten kept her senses on alert – ready for any sign that someone had seen her.

She reached Hiashi's study without incident and bent quickly to slip the note under the door – it was unsigned and she'd done her utmost to conceal her handwriting but she still sent a fervent prayer heavenward that Hiashi would be the first through the door in the morning.

* * *

Morning was coming closer and closer, and Neji knew he _had _to sleep – Hiashi had informed him the previous evening that his first council meeting would take place early the next day – but every time he closed his eyes images from the past danced tantalizingly in his mind's eye. Fighting the drowsiness was becoming harder and harder but Neji stubbornly refused to give in. Instead he trained his gaze firmly on the wall opposite and began to recount the basic steps of Jyuuken. As sleep claimed him, he had to admit that maybe something as boring as steps he could recite in his sleep had been the wrong choice...

_Lips met in a kiss of coiling tongues and tugging teeth and Tenten's fingers danced down his spine in a bone-melting caress. Neji drew back and deliberately placed his hand lightly on the first hook of her shirt. Their eyes met and, when Tenten returned his gaze unflinchingly, his hand faltered. A slight smirk ghosted across Tenten's features as she pulled his head down for another heated kiss, and soon all the buttons were undone, and Neji had no recollection of doing so._

_He parted the cloth hesitantly, his hands brushing lightly over straining breasts and Tenten moaned softly, arching her back, and suddenly all uncertainty was clouded by the haze that surrounded his mind. There was only her soft, warm flesh and the glide of her hand over his bare skin as he lowered his head to take a pebbled tip into his mouth._

_She buried her hands in his hair and drew his head closer to her body, and he felt vaguely triumphant – clearly he was doing something wonderful - and so he continued doing it as his hands traced lightly over her, baring more and more skin to his gaze._ _The familiar demands of his body drew his attention and he reluctantly withdrew a bit, but then she whined a soft protest, and grabbed his hand before placing it firmly on one breast. _

_'Touch me' she breathed pleadingly and Neji gave in to the demand._

_Finally, he drew back, clearing his throat regretfully but she followed him into a sitting position and placed her hand on his hip, staring intently at him – her wordless question obvious. _

_Neji was quiet for so long that Tenten hesitantly began to draw away, a blush on her cheeks, but with a snap of his wrist he caught her hand and held her in place while his other hand slowly undid the fastenings on his shorts._

_Through flushed and flustered commands, issued from between clenched teeth, Tenten learned how to please him as his hands roamed over her silken skin. In the mindless aftermath, as wave after wave of intense pleasure washed over his senses, Neji discovered that being out of control with the right person could be anything but bad._

* * *

Dark circles ringed Neji's eyes but he was otherwise immaculate as always when he entered Hiashi's study the next morning.

"You're late."

The disapproval radiated from his uncle's tone but Neji was in no mood to act subservient and his tone was icy when he replied.

"Only two minutes – and, I assure you, it was not deliberate. Haru and Himiko were a bit difficult this morning and the nurse needed help feeding them."

Not bothering to reply Hiashi swept around his desk and, as soon as he had passed, Neji turned to follow. As they made their way through the corridors, his uncle was silent but when they came to a halt in front of the council meeting room he threw out a hand to stop Neji.

"You will be offered military command. In accordance with the agreement made between Hyuuga and Hokage this also means that you will have absolute control of which shinobi are at Konoha's disposal at any given time, though we have never had the need to separate Hyuuga and village forces. I urge you to consider carefully before accepting this charge – it is not to be taken lightly."

He swept into the room without waiting for Neji to reply which was just as well since Neji had no idea of what to say – of how to respond. The council must want to prove their faith in him very badly for them to offer him such a position. The potential dangers of having a military commander at odds with the council – especially if martial law were ever to be declared – was a thought that must've given them sleepless nights.

Unaware of the almost cruel smirk that pulled the corners of his mouth up, Neji entered the room as well, and as he settled himself into place next to his uncle he carefully schooled his features into an expressionless mask.

Suddenly it seemed like he might be enjoying this meeting, after all.

* * *

_**a/n: So, what did you think? Please review and let me know ^^**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favorites!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

_Present …_

"Change!"

Neji slammed his palm forward and Tenten winced as she waited for the blow to connect with her chest, and probably send her into cardiac arrest. Instead he modified his movement at the last moment and his hand pressed into her shoulder hard enough to bruise as he pushed her against the wall.

"I-I" she gasped her hands flying between them to shove futilely at Neji's chest. His eyes were narrowed, his mouth pressed into a thin line, a slight flush of anger darkening his cheeks with dull color. She stared pleadingly up at him, for the first time really aware of how much stronger he was – even without counting the added strength rage had lent him. She firmly ignored the slight twinge of fear – she'd never seen Neji this angry – and wished that she'd thought to at least bring some shuriken with her.

"I said change it," Neji snarled as he shoved her against the wall, driving the breath from her lungs.

"I …don't …" she wheezed as she tried, again, to push him off.

His other hand lifted to hold her firmly in place, his fingers digging into her shoulders painfully, but suddenly his grip relaxed and he stepped forward to pin her to the wall with his body instead of his hands.

Tenten was still trying to get her breath back when his fingers lifted to pick a strand of dull charcoal hair out of her eyes. He rubbed it between his fingers, an almost thoughtful look on his face, but Tenten knew him far too well to be fooled by the tactic: Neji was _very _angry, and wouldn't be deflected that easily. She tried to squirm away but he dropped the strand of hair and lifted his hand to stroke her neck – slow, feather-soft strokes that tightened abruptly around her throat. He held her firmly, not hard enough to choke, but with enough force to keep her from moving.

Pleadingly Tenten stared up at him, her eyes wide, and Neji groaned as he leaned forward until his face was only a breath away.

"I could kill you for this," he whispered, almost to himself.

"I don't know what you mean!" Tenten finally managed to say softly as she turned her head away.

Neji's grip relaxed, his touch softened and his voice vibrated with suppressed emotion, "Why? Why would you do this?"

Though she knew that it was a mistake, Tenten couldn't help turning back, looking into his eyes, and as soon as the small sign of weakness showed, Neji pounced on it.

"Please," he whispered, "Do you want me to beg? Change."

They stared at each other for a breathless moment before Neji closed his eyes and when he opened them again the anger was only a simmering shimmer in the pearly depths. His eyes reflected the hurt that had been the catalyst for the anger, and he leaned closer, until their lips nearly touched and Tenten could feel her entire borrowed body trembling in reaction.

"Change," he breathed softly, persuasively,

"For me, Tenten."

* * *

_Two days earlier …_

"…to marshal Hyuuga forces in times of battle…"

Neji tuned the sing-song voice his grandfather was wont to adopt for formal rituals out and tried to look serious when, in fact, he was vastly amused by this unprecedented action from the highly traditional council. He started listening again when the inflection in his grandfather's voice changed.

"Hyuuga Neji. Do you accept this charge?"

"I do," Neji replied solemnly, taking the scroll his grandfather held out to him.

He nearly smiled again when an almost audible, collective sigh rose from the congregated council members behind him – clearly they thought that giving him military command would be enough to cement his ties to the clan.

Hiashi stood and changed places with his father and in the flurry of official activity Neji allowed his thoughts to wander. He'd never thought that a council meeting would be this boring. There had been a time when he would've given almost anything to be in the position he currently found himself in. A time when he would've used his new-found power to punish the council for all the pain it had caused. Now he couldn't help but regret that he was no longer the person he had been. His way forward had been much clearer before Tenten had come along and showed him that, if you only looked for it, joy could be found in even the worst of situations.

His attention reverted to the figure of his uncle looming over him, serious and intent. Hiashi held out a hand and in surprise Neji allowed himself to be raised, turning automatically to face the assembled council. His impassive mask didn't slip even when he noticed that the group had grown considerably while he'd been immersed in his thoughts. A strange sense of foreboding filled him when he saw Hinata and Hanabi amongst those newly arrived.

Before Neji could open his mouth to protest – in an undertone of course – Hiashi held up his hands for silence though it was hardly necessary.

"In times past, the Hyuuga heir was invested with the office of military commander. Not only to indicate the council's endorsement but also to gain experience in leading. Today we have revived that practice."

Hiashi paused, pretending to be oblivious to the murmurs that ran through the crowd. Once silence descended again he motioned his daughters forward. Hinata jumped a little and immediately made her way to where her father and cousin stood, followed by a mutinous-looking Hanabi after a slight pause. They drew to a halt in front of their father and after a moment of stern contemplation Hiashi spoke again.

"Hyuuga Hinata."

Hinata jumped and blushed before quickly stammering an acknowledgement, and Neji couldn't help the fleeting stab of pity – no matter how much Hinata had improved her father was still able to completely undermine her confidence.

"By birth you are the heir. Do you accept the ruling of the clan? Do you renounce your claim?"

"Y-yes," Hinata stammered out as quickly as she was able, looking like she would like nothing more than to disappear into the earth.

Hiashi turned to his youngest daughter, "Hyuuga Hanabi."

Unlike her sister Hanabi stared up at her father defiantly until a frown creased his forehead and she reluctantly acknowledged the calling of her name.

"By birth and by renunciation you are the heir. Do you accept the ruling of the clan? Do you renounce your claim?"

"Yes," she murmured after a tense pause.

Though her eyes were modestly downcast Neji could almost feel the rage pouring from her small frame, and he nearly winced. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted Hiashi to confirm him as heir – never mind that he hadn't actually ever accepted the offer – he didn't want to make any unnecessary enemies.

"Hyuuga Neji. The council has spoken and you are nominated as the heir of the Hyuuga clan. Do you accept this?"

Pearly eyes met pearly eyes in a steely gaze as Neji refused to allow his uncle to cow him into submission as he had just done to his daughters. Finally Neji inclined his head slightly and said "yes" with as much dignity as he could muster. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been chosen because the council – and his uncle for that matter – thought he would be easily controlled. If so, they were in for a big surprise; the positions may have been forced on him but he had no intention of being their puppet.

* * *

The meeting was finally over and Neji wearily made his way back to the nursery. The nurse looked up in surprise when he entered and Neji just barely suppressed his grimace – he really hated that it was a surprise when he looked in on his own children.

Haru crawled over at a startling pace considering the awkward gait and latched onto the leg of Neji's pants babbling a continuous stream of nonsense. In surprise, Neji stared down at the child.

_When did that happen? _

He wondered what else he'd missed in his six months with ANBU, but Haru held up a brightly colored block in one plump fist and Neji dropped into a crouch to take the offering. Slowly he turned the orange square over in his hand ignoring the demands of the child at his feet, as he contemplated his new offices and the impact it would have on his already limited time. Steadily the wails from his feet increased in volume until he stared down at Haru in surprise.

Suddenly a sheaf of black hair obscured his vision as the woman bent to pick up the crying boy.

"It wouldn't kill you to pay him a little attention," she snapped, to Neji's eternal astonishment, "is it that hard to make a few appreciative noises?" she glared down at him before turning smartly to place Haru back in the circle of toys where his sister watched with tear-filled eyes and a trembling lower lip.

In confusion Neji stared around him. He'd been so lost in thought he'd barely noticed the effect his presence had on the children and, though the nurse's tone was completely inappropriate, she was right. Neji straightened up and walked slowly over to where the babies sat, block still in hand. He knelt down in front of Haru again and whispered an apology he was sure the child understood since a sunny smile took the place of the scowl and Haru happily reached for the block Neji held out to him.

The change of expression was disconcerting, and for a moment Neji's world reeled. The scowl had been pure Hyuuga – an expression he'd seen in the mirror more than once – but the smile was what really threw him: it was pure Tenten. Loneliness hit him in wave after painful wave, and he nearly jumped through the roof when a small hand slapped lightly down on to his still outstretched arm. His head turned and he stared at Himiko in silence.

Her eyes proclaimed her a Hyuuga as much as his own did – as did Haru's – but instead of the remoteness he was used to seeing in the pearly depths her eyes sparkled brightly. For a moment he marveled at the idea that the child wanted to help – that she had sensed the emotion in him. Her eyes had the same disconcerting look that Tenten's had often held when she looked at him. Abruptly Neji stood and, with a quick touch to each of the children's cheeks, he whirled gracefully and walked to the door. He was nearly at the door when a low murmur caught the very edge of his hearing. Some unknown feeling told him to activate the Byakugan and he turned surreptiously, just enough so that he could make out the movement of the woman's lips as she turned back to the children.

"Damn arrogant, indifferent, aristocratic bastard …"

It was all he could make out, but it was enough. The words nagged at something in his memory and he frowned as he stared at her back. There it was again … the feeling that he somehow _knew _her.

* * *

Hanabi walked deliberately down the hallways, uncaring of the servants that scattered in her wake. At the door to her father's office she paused and took a deep breath, before knocking lightly and entering without waiting for the invitation.

Disappointment painted her features when her gaze lighted on the empty room and quickly turned to petulance. She whirled in a tight circle aiming a kick at a nearby cushion.

"Argh!" she muttered in frustration, but the flash of white that caught her peripheral vision excited her curiosity to the extent that she forgot about her anger and frustration for a moment. Slowly glancing around the room to make sure that she was absolutely alone, Hanabi bent and picked up the folded piece of paper. Another quick glance assured her she was still alone and she unfolded the piece of paper swiftly.

_Subconsciously I think he knows – it's only a matter of time before he figures it out. How much longer do I have to continue this charade? It grows wearying. If the plan isn't yielding any results I will embark on a different course of action._

She read the cryptic words a few times but they still made very little sense. Apparently there was a plan, but who was the 'he' and what was he going to figure out? Musingly Hanabi slipped the small square into her pocket and quietly let herself out of her father's office, and for the first time since the council meeting she had some hope for her own future.

* * *

The nagging feeling that he had forgotten something wouldn't leave him be and since Neji found himself with unaccustomed free time on his hands in the immediate aftermath of the council meeting, he decided to investigate the feeling fully. He kept to the shadows of the hallway as he silently followed after the brunette. For the first time Neji was thankful for his ANBU training – his infiltration skills had been honed to perfection and he could be nearly undetectable when he wanted to be. He frowned in concentration as he watched carefully, noting the way she moved - the light, soundless tread of someone trained in the art of concealment. The feeling nagged at the back of his mind again.

The corridor narrowed slightly as they entered the flagged-stone hallway that led to the baths. Neji firmly put all thoughts of invasion of privacy from his mind as he reminded himself that he wasn't peeking – he was not a pervert like Jiraiya. He needed information and, to gather it, he needed to observe her when she was totally relaxed.

_Plus, it's not like I can't just look through her clothes anyway, _he firmly told his inner saint.

Neji nearly cursed aloud when he rounded the last bend, still engaged in arguing with himself, and nearly walked into his uncle's back. His instinctive response was to gag; was this the reason the woman had appeared from seemingly nowhere to take care of the twins? But then he gathered himself and strained his hearing: Hiashi looked much too serious for this to be nothing more than a romantic tryst.

"Never contact me again," Hiashi's low voice sounded strangely devoid of anger … he sounded … worried. "You risk everything!"

Dark brows drew together in an obstinate expression that Neji found disturbingly familiar … again.

"I can't do this anymore! You have no idea … every time I see him I want to tell him!"

Hiashi threw his hands up in a gesture of impatience, "Te-" he cleared his throat deliberately, "Madam. I beg you to use your common sense! We have come this far … you cannot throw it all away now because my nephew played with your hair! Especially since it's not even your hair to begin with!"

Neji shrank back into the shadows but Hiashi had entered the baths; his thoughts were whirling furiously. He carefully combed over his uncle's words, paying special attention to each and every syllable of the whispered conversation he'd just overheard. The woman sighed, drawing his attention again and he followed her withdrawing figure with narrowed eyes, watching as she reached up to undo her hair.

With an almost audible click the bits and pieces of information fell into place and, momentarily weak with shock, Neji leaned back against the cool stone wall. Slowly the world righted itself and he suppressed the urge to follow her into the bath. Then blessed rage came, burning away all thoughts of holding her close and never letting go again. Neji's eyes narrowed and he glared into the dark doorway through which she'd disappeared. No, he had to bide his time.

* * *

It was the hardest thing Neji had ever had to do: walking away and keeping quiet. Or so he had thought the previous night when he'd returned to his cold bed with new-found realizations pounding through his disbelieving mind.

That had been before he had to face his uncle this morning, and pretend that nothing had changed, when everything was different now. In the wee hours of the morning Neji had come to the conclusion that he was done playing other people's games. For the first time in his life he was in a position to really fight back, and he was damned if he'd take the moral high ground this time. No, he was going to fight back and for once everyone was going to dance to his tune. For too long he'd suppressed the part of himself that was the very antithesis of Tenten. Eventually he'd been able to forget what he was capable of in his drive to become a better person for the woman he loved – he'd tried so hard to be worthy of her…to not be so bitter and apathetic, to let go of his fatalistic views.

Neji shook his head to dislodge the bitterness as he stared at Hiashi's door. Bitterness helped no one - that much he knew. Whatever their plan had been, it would change. For the last months he'd allowed himself to drift along the course his uncle was plotting for him but no more – they didn't know it yet but a new path had opened up.

The presence of another at his shoulder drew Neji from his vengeful contemplation and he turned his head very slightly to stare at Hanabi. She stared back, defiance sparking in her eyes again, and Neji sighed inwardly. His cousin would have to learn that their positions had been reversed but he didn't want to alienate her totally – she might prove useful.

Hanabi glared at him for a long moment before turning on her heel and stalking off and Neji nearly laughed out loud. If that was the worst he could expect from her then he'd been foolish to even begin plotting ways to get his young cousin on his side.

* * *

_Present …_

The cloud of smoke obscured her from view for a moment but Neji didn't relax his hold and when the smoke cleared he found himself staring into the familiar chocolate of Tenten's eyes. She stared up at him anxiously, and suddenly he was aware of the brutal hold of his hands; of the way his fingers were digging into her flesh. It hadn't really bothered him when she hadn't looked like herself, but now he was hard-pressed to hold onto the anger that had driven him to this point.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, "but if you'd just listen-"

Her words were cut off by the hard pressure of Neji's mouth against hers. The kiss wasn't warm, melting, or any of the other things she'd ever associated with his lips. Instead, the kiss was cold, hard, meant to punish. She could feel the way Neji's muscles quivered with restrained anger. But, as always, she was utterly unable to resist him; no matter what form he took, no matter which side of Neji was dominant at any particular time, she'd never been able to resist. Tenten stretched her arms up and wound them around his neck, the action twice as enjoyable since she felt like herself for the first time in many months.

Slowly Neji's mouth softened as Tenten pressed against him and moved her lips persuasively against his. His tongue slicked out to coil with hers and she couldn't suppress the low moan in the back of her throat.

Abruptly Neji drew away.

"Change back," he was panting slightly but held her against the wall with no slackening of his grip.

Confused, Tenten opened her mouth but he held a warning finger to her lips and jerked his head at the doorway. Catching on, Tenten quickly gathered her shredded control, and pictured her borrowed body in as much detail as she could. Another cloud of smoke later Tenten was a non-descript brunette again and Neji was gone.

* * *

_**a/n: Please review? I'd really appreciate your thoughts!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/n: I have been terribly remiss in updating. Forgive me! Anyone else read the latest manga chapter (614)? I am utterly devastated so I thought a chapter of PT was in order to cheer me up. **_

_**It didn't work D:**_

_**Please review?**_

_**For: shimmeringbluelight (we will get through this! I hope …), chibinejiten (thanks for the commiseration!) Blade Redwind (luff you! Thanks for getting my head straight again ^^) and XYukari SendoX (you are the best sister ever ^^)**_

_**And finally:**_

_**For Hyuuga Neji.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

_**Chapter 9**_

Hanabi glared at the back of Hinata's head as her sister dragged her through the corridors of the Hyuuga main house. The night was quiet, even the servants had retired to their rooms, though it was still early. Then again, it wasn't so unusual. Since their grandfather had taken ill the week before an almost deadly gloom had enveloped the compound. And it wasn't as if the compound wasn't already a fairly sombre place to live, she had to concede that.

Sudden impatience with her entire life and all the people in it washed over her and she yanked her arm out of her sister's grasp, "Let go! Where are we going and why are we in such a rush?"

Hinata turned around, staring at her sister in exasperation, "I told you – not here. Just be patient!" Hinata's words were hissed in an undertone, her normally modest gaze burned with some unknown emotion and Hanabi stared at her in suspicion.

Before she could reply Hinata grabbed her arm again and they were rushing down the hall at almost a run. By the time they drew to a halt in front of a door, in a dusty, disused wing of the house, Hanabi was panting slightly. Hinata shot her a glance that was simultaneously a plea and a warning, and the younger girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion again. What was Hinata up to and why did she get the distinct impression that – whatever it was – she was _not_ going to like it?

Hinata pushed the door open to reveal a darkened, empty room – there wasn't even any furniture left in this part of the house - and as Hanabi crossed the threshold after her sister she couldn't help but shiver a little; whether in fear or anticipation she couldn't tell. Following her sister's lead she also came to a halt in the very center of the room and stared at the dusty footprints trailing to their position. Her gaze swept curiously over the floor until she noticed a third set of footprints and her head jerked up to look questioningly at Hinata. Clearly they were having a meeting of some sort. Her sister shook her head slightly, motioning for Hanabi to wait.

A shadow detached itself from the deep recesses by the window and Hanabi's eyes narrowed until they were nothing more than slits. She rounded on Hinata, who began twisting her fingers together nervously.

"J-Just l-listen, Hanabi-chan, p-please? What could it h-hurt to hear what Neji-nii-san has to say?" she stared pleadingly at her sister, while Neji remained where he was, half-hidden in shadow and quiet as death.

Hanabi threw her hands into the air in exasperation, "I don't care what he has to say! I'm not interested in hearing it. I can't believe you fell for whatever line he fed you, Hinata. Have you lost your mind? Trusting Neji is about the stupidest thing we _could _do! Have you forgotten he tried to kill you once already? How much more reason does he have to do that now?" She glared at Hinata as the elder shook her head fervently.

She opened her mouth again but before she could say anything Neji spoke up quietly, "She has a point, Hinata-sama – why did you come here?"

Hinata glanced hesitantly from one to the other, her fingers twisted together so tightly that it looked painful, "I-I came because I wanted to hear what you have to say. And he won't hurt us, Hanabi – not now, not anymore."

With an audible huff of breath Hanabi crossed her arms and glared up at her older cousin, "As if he could, anyway. I don't care how much of a genius you are, you won't be able to take both of us – not at the same time."

Neji smirked but relaxed as he walked over to them, "Hinata is right about one thing at least – I don't want to hurt either of you. Now, are you going to listen or are you going to leave? The proposition I have will benefit both of you, but there's no use in continuing this conversation if we cannot even establish a basic level of trust."

Hinata nodded without hesitation and sank to the floor gracefully, settling herself in a comfortable, cross-legged position. She stared expectantly up at Hanabi. The long, tense silence seemed to stretch endlessly but, at last, Hanabi inclined her head and plopped down next to her sister. Resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands, she glared at Neji, "I'm listening," she muttered resentfully.

Moving fluidly Neji settled himself across from them, "Hanabi, you want power? I can give you power. Hinata – you want to change the clan? I can give you that opportunity." He took a deep breath but before he could continue Hanabi interrupted.

"I had plenty of power before you stole it from under me – what makes you think that I would take whatever handouts you feel like giving?" she eyed him calculatingly from beneath lowered lashes, "In my position I would be better off working against you than with you."

"True," Neji inclined his head, "But here's the thing, Hanabi-sama. The clan will always be more comfortable with a male heir than a female one. Hiashi-sama has many years of leadership ahead of him, what's to stop the council from deciding to wait for either of you to have sons and declaring _him_ the heir? Or simply training Haru for the position?"

Hanabi bristled like an angry cat, "It still gives me more time to remove any competition from the running."

A slight glow of chakra sprang up around Neji's hand but he clenched it tightly and took a deep breath, "Was that a threat? That really wouldn't be wise – I'm still in a better position than you right now. You won't be able to touch Haru." He shook his head, "No, Hanabi, if those are the kinds of plans you're entertaining I advise you to abandon them sooner rather than later. It would never work – make your peace with the fact that I am the heir. As I have," Neji added in a bitter undertone.

His head jerked up and he glared at the two younger girls, "I didn't want this. I didn't ask for this. All I wanted was to have my family with me, and the opportunity to advance my skills, but I got something else entirely. Now I can wallow in misery about it, or I can make the best of it. The problem with power is that, once you have it, you spend the rest of your life fighting to keep it. At this point, you have nothing… but, throw your weight as Hiashi-sama's daughters behind me, and I will do all I can to change that for you. But, understand this, I _am _the heir, I _will _be clan head and that won't change."

The three stared at each other for a long time. Finally Hinata spoke up, "Neji-nii-san, you are most suited to the position – I've never denied that. And I don't want to be clan head. But I do want Hyuuga to change – and I know you want that too. For that reason alone, you can count on my vote. Not that it's worth much. But I assume you have a plan for changing that?"

Neji shook his head slightly, acknowledging Hinata's words, but staring searchingly at Hanabi, waiting for her decision before revealing all. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to view his proposition from every angle, trying to see how he could be using it to his advantage – and to her disadvantage. At last she grunted in frustration, "You have my support," she muttered, staring at the dusty floor.

Tension seemed to miraculously disappear, and all three relaxed slightly, the new sense of solidarity serving to draw them together until their heads were close. In a low whisper Neji began to outline the plan.

"Grandfather won't make it through the night. The doctors are sure of it – that means that only Hiashi-sama will know the seals for the activation of the Caged Bird curse. And _that _effectively brings me into the game on the same level as the rest of you. The loss of an elder will bring some confusion to the council, and that's the time to make our move. I've been looking through the old histories and it seems that before Hyuuga affiliated itself with Konoha, the councils weren't composed solely of elders: the heir had a faction of their own, the younger generation if you will. They thought that this would lead to balanced decisions: the wisdom of the elders tempering the impetuosity of youth and the daring of the young to counteract the cautiousness of age. Thus, we have precedence, and if I propose this to Hiashi-sama as a measure of controlling the two of you, then he'll convince the council. If the three of us always vote together then we'll deadlock the council indefinitely on most issues – in so doing, we render the council ineffective. Then, as I take over more and more of the daily operations, I pass more and more power to you. Given a little time, and if we play our cards very close, we'll be running everything, with a council of puppets in the background – and if we're lucky they won't realize it until it's too late."

Hinata looked slightly frightened by the prospect but nodded nervously nonetheless. Hanabi stared at Neji in grudging admiration before nodding too. "What do you need us to do?"

Neji sighed, "At the moment there's nothing we can do. But as soon as the funeral is over, I need you to start being as rebellious as possible – making sure that everyone is well aware how upset you are at being excluded from the succession. But don't take it too far – just sow a bit of unrest. That'll give me a reason to propose such a measure to your father, and if we can just get that stage complete…" his voice trailed off, and Neji stared at the floor seemingly lost in thought.

Hanabi stood and dusted her clothes off, "Right. It's a deal. After the funeral we'll start. I assume, you'll contact us whenever we need to meet?" she stared questioningly at Neji who nodded slightly. Hanabi reached down and grabbed her sister's arm, pulling Hinata to her feet. At the door she paused and glanced back at her cousin, still motionless on the floor, "How do we know that you won't betray us?" she asked.

Slowly raising his head Neji met her gaze with a stony one of his own, "You don't. That's where the trust I mentioned comes in handy. Suffice it to say, none of us has much of a choice. It's work together or be side-lined."

Hanabi nodded slowly in agreement, and she'd just turned when Neji called her name softly, "Hanabi. Just for the record, I _can _take both of you if I have to. I don't gain anything from killing you, but just because I don't want to doesn't mean that I won't."

She stood frozen in the doorway, holding tight to Hinata's hand, as Neji swept past them.

"Just in case you were contemplating betraying _me_," he smirked over his shoulder before disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.

* * *

Hiashi stared down at the unconscious form of his father. He couldn't help but marvel at how small and frail the man appeared. All of his life his father had been a force to be reckoned with, he'd ruled with iron control, yet now he appeared nothing more than a man succumbing to death the same as any other man in his position. All his memories of his father were of the man's strength – his strength of mind, his will and his firm decisions. As a clan head, and as a teacher, the man had been incomparable. He'd wielded iron control over the council and Hiashi's training, pushing all of them, the entire clan, to be better, stronger, greater…all for the glory of the Hyuuga and their Byakugan. But Hiashi couldn't help but wish that the man had been tempered with mercy, with the fore-sight to see that, despite their all-seeing eyes, the Hyuuga needed to change to ensure their continued survival…

_Fifteen-year-old Hyuuga Hiashi fought to keep the grimace off his face as he turned for the millionth time, forcing himself to concentrate only on the sweeping movements of the new kata his father had him practicing. He was too aware of the old man at his back though and his focus on the Byakugan slipped, just enough for him to miss the placement of his hand by a millimetre._

"_Hiashi! Focus – if this had been a battle you would be dead by now. Remember, your Byakugan does not control you; you direct your vision, and focus it, where you want it. Now, again!"_

_Hiashi wiped the sweat off his forehead and, brow marred with lines of concentration, placed his hands and feet in the correct starting position before tiredly beginning the motions again. They'd been at this since dawn and it was far past lunch-time now. He was tired, he was sore, and he couldn't help but wish that Hizashi was there too, just to take some of the old man's attention._

_Hiashi jumped in fright, nearly lost his footing, and finally whirled around less than gracefully, when a sharp shout from behind him rent the still air of the courtyard he was practicing in._

_In astonishment, and not without slight flickers of fear in his gut, he watched as he father dragged Hizashi out from the small out-building that flanked the left side of the courtyard. His father had a firm grip on Hizashi's low ponytail, and Hiashi winced in sympathy when his father yanked Hizashi down the low steps and into the courtyard proper._

"_What do you think you're doing, boy?" his father roared, and Hiashi couldn't help but notice that his father's face lacked the flush of anger that it usually had when Hiashi messed up over and over. _

_A defiant grimace bloomed on his brother's face. "Learning," Hizashi spat at their father, smug satisfaction evident in the single word. He fell face-down onto the ground with a groan when his father gave another sharp tug of the ponytail and pushed him to his knees with a harsh shove._

"_This is not meant for you, Hizashi. And well you know it. You have shamed me and the name you bear."_

_The grim lines around his father's mouth didn't bode well for Hizashi - that much Hiashi knew. This was not the first time their father had found him lurking around trying to spy on Hiashi's training. _

"_So? Doesn't stop me from doing the katas better than either of you," Hizashi smirked up at their father as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. _

_An indefinable emotion seemed to flash through his father's eyes and abruptly Hiashi was glad that Hizashi would get punished again. The jealousy flared brighter than ever when his father only sighed – if it had been Hiashi back-chatting like that he would long since have been gasping through the pain as he lay in the dust. For a fleeting moment a strange communicative look passed between his brother and his father, and Hiashi shook his head – he would never understand the love-hate relationship between his sibling and his parent._

_A smirk pulled at Hiashi's lips as his father indicated his brother to precede him into the outbuilding Hizashi had been hiding in. With his head held high Hizashi swept before his father and the jealousy flared again… until a few minutes later at least, when Hiashi heard the pained grunt emit from the building._

_This was a game they played, his father and brother, Hizashi would refuse to submit, refuse to show how much pain the lashes caused him, which only spurred their father on to greater efforts in his bid to break his youngest son._

_Hiashi turned away, tears suddenly burning in his eyes. How he wished that he could have no part of them and their petty, manipulative games. But, as he slowly made his way into their family's section of the compound, Hiashi admitted miserably that it would never be possible to escape. Not when he could feel the lashes across his thighs burning as brightly as if his father had inflicted them directly onto his skin instead of his brother's…_

With a sigh Hiashi leaned forward, resting his elbows on the side of the bed. "For a long time, I thought that I would never be able to forgive you for Hizashi. I know that you encouraged him in his folly but, finally, I had to admit that the person I was unable to forgive was myself. Go in peace, old man. I doubt you'll approve of my plans for the future – for the clan - but I wanted us to part on good terms."

He stood wearily and walked to the door without looking back, despite his formidable manner, despite his typical Hyuuga control, he couldn't help the slight sigh of relief that escaped when he slid the door shut behind him.

* * *

Tenten paced restlessly from one side of the nursery to the other. As if they sensed her disquiet the twins were uneasy too. Though she knew that Neji hadn't been particularly attached to his grandfather, she couldn't help the need that coursed through her body: losing a family member was never easy, and she wanted nothing more than to give Neji the comfort she knew he would be much to proud to admit he needed – even to himself. Familiar frustration gripped her again. Despite his Byakugan Neji was damn near blind when it suited him to be. She was right in what she'd done – knew it in her gut – and if Neji would only relax his hold on his pride and _listen_ then she was sure he'd agree with her. Tenten scowled at nothing in particular. Neji and his damned pride…

She shivered slightly as images of Neji during the past few months flashed across her mind's eye. She hated it – hated how he'd slipped so easily back into his hatred, his anger, his helplessness. But most of all she hated how she was so completely unable to do anything about it. Every time she'd been close to him in the last few months, she'd ached to smooth away the frown marring his brow with her lips, had wanted to tease him until a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, wanted to hold him close until her heat melted all of the ice he coated his heart with.

The only problem was, since he'd figured out her secret a week ago, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him – he avoided any place she was likely to be like the plague -which also didn't help her current state of mind.

Her fists clenched in frustration. If only Neji would listen! If only he would give her a chance to explain … she and Hiashi had only been trying to do what was best for them all. The nagging feeling that Neji wouldn't understand _that_ either wouldn't leave her be. But she had to try. If she knew Neji at all then, angry as he was at her, he was bound to be just as angry at his uncle. After everything Hiashi had done for them Tenten felt honor-bound to explain his uncle's actions at the very least. Surely Neji would see that the sacrifices Hiashi had been prepared to make were backed up with the very best of intentions.

But where to start? With the council's proposal to her? That would only make Neji more hostile. With Hiashi-sama's counter proposal? The plan to instate Neji as clan head within the year, allowing Hiashi to retire and then claim a council seat, thus giving Neji the power over his own life and the lives of his children. Tenten grimaced, that probably wouldn't go over well either. Neji would see himself as a mere pawn in their game – his past was littered with events showing how little control he had over his own life – and he was bound to see this plan as just another instance of the control the clan wielded over him. Added to that, Tenten was fairly sure he would see her part in it as nothing more than the vilest betrayal and she had no desire to anger him further.

She sighed, and her pacing slowed. Her eyes swept the bright room, over the brightly colored toys that littered the floors, taking in nothing of her surroundings. The problem remained that she had to tell Neji the truth. Determination tightened her lips, and Tenten lifted her chin defiantly. Being with Neji had never been easy but she'd always managed in the past – this would be no different. She _would_ find a way to explain – and get him to listen.

She jumped guiltily when Himiko wailed and hurried over to pick her up. Thankfully, it seemed that Haru had slept through his sister's unhappy cry, and Tenten murmured comforting nonsense to her daughter as she rocked the little girl slowly. The baby quieted down eventually, long after Tenten had lost all feeling in her arms, and she slowly lowered the child back into her bed.

Worriedly she resumed her pacing. The funeral had taken place that afternoon and she'd been so sure that Neji would come to them then. Now, she had to admit that clearly work hadn't been the reason he'd stayed away. Her last bit of hope crumbled and she wiped angrily at the tear that trickled down her cheek. If only he would give her the chance to at least explain! But night had fallen, supper was long over and still, he hadn't come.

Finally, she admitted defeat. Gave up and retired to her room, next to the twins'. She curled into a miserable little ball, and tried to console herself with the thought that at least he was still alive and well, and that she wasn't going to lose her children. No matter how angry she made him, Neji wouldn't be that cruel.

* * *

The scroll flew across the room to hit the opposite wall with a satisfying thunk. The satisfaction lasted only a moment though and Neji groaned as he dropped his head onto the desk. The last week had been sheer torture, staying away from Tenten and the kids, but he realized that he was still far too angry to be able to face her with any sort of composure. So he'd done the sensible thing: he'd moved into a guestroom and tried to stay busy.

Every time he thought of the way she had played him … his fists clenched and he resisted the urge to start breaking the furniture. A few deep breaths later, a semblance of his usual calm descended and Neji slowly stood and began to pace the length of the small room.

No matter which way he looked at it there was just no denying that Tenten had deceived him - and deliberately at that. The sane part of his mind tried, yet again, to convince him that she must've had a good reason for doing so but Neji had faced up to some hard facts in the last week and he was far beyond convincing himself that something was true simply because he wished so much that it was.

There was no way around who and what he was. Playing house with Tenten for a few years had softened him, had allowed him to forget what family he belonged to. It was not the kind of family you let your guard down around – there was too much at stake, too much power, too many craving that power. If you forgot, for even a second, the wolves descended.

And he had forgotten. He'd allowed emotions like love, trust – the finer emotions in life – to cloud his judgment, and now he had to admit that he'd set himself up for this fall. Maybe he was a tad angrier at Tenten than was really strictly necessary, but he couldn't help but feel that if she hadn't come along, if she hadn't cracked his barriers, then he wouldn't be in the position he currently found himself in. Life had been so much easier when he hadn't felt anything about anyone. Still, he now had his children to consider, and the guilt just wouldn't stop gnawing at his soul with the thought that he hadn't seen either of them in a week. _How many changes have I missed now? _

Anger, no _rage_, confused hurt, relief that she was alive and well, disbelief at her actions … the emotions roiled around in his heart, and he hated that she always made him feel so out of control. The last thing he needed right now was a distraction. Still, why was he hiding from her?

Decision abruptly made, Neji opened the door and stole silently through the dark house, heading for the nursery. Damned if he'd let Tenten think she'd won.

He stayed in the nursery for a long time, simply drinking in all the changes that surrounded the twins, the only way he currently had of finding out how much they had developed in the last while. The addition of toddler toys, the storybooks Tenten had begun to read to them…

At last he'd examined every inch of the room minutely and he turned to the twins. Sleeping peacefully, cheeks slightly flushed, looking so innocent and pure that Neji still marveled at the fact that he'd had even a small part in their creation.

Maybe that was what hurt the worst … that Tenten would be capable of such deception, of deliberately inflicting pain. The thing he loved most about her, about being with her, was her innocence – she was untainted with the less savory aspects of life that he'd grown up taking for granted. Being with Tenten had been like a breath of fresh air, a whole different approach to life, and he'd been blinded by that, had forgotten that Tenten had lines of steel running through her. He'd forgotten that she was more than a match for him - that just because she was warm where he was cold didn't mean that she was any less capable of anything.

Seems he'd forgotten too many things, and he had only himself to blame but, like a dog that had been abused and lulled into trust only to be whipped again, he turned on the one inflicting the pain.

_Never again_, Neji vowed silently, _never again will another have any kind of hold over me._

* * *

After hours of silent, one-sided conversation with the twins, Neji walked to the connecting door and steeled himself. The door slid open silently, and he quickly stepped into Tenten's room, sliding it closed behind him again.

Her eyes glimmered in the moonlight as they stared at each other, and without being told, Tenten released the jutsu. Pale smoke wreathed around her body, giving her an otherworldly appearance and Neji fought against his instincts that wanted to pull her away from the invisible divide - that wanted her to stay with him no matter what. _No, you don't need her_, he reminded himself firmly, and crossed his arms over his chest just in case temptation became too much.

His resolve faltered when Tenten stood and walked over to him, coming to a halt in front of him, the moonlight bathing her in silver light. The urge to touch, to show her how incredibly beautiful she was, rushed strongly through his veins. Instead Neji reached for the anger, embraced it in a way he hadn't since his genin days, and glared down at her.

"Spare me," he hissed, "I don't care what plan you and my uncle devised. I don't care why you did it. I'm letting you know that your plans have changed. You don't need to know how, why or when but you'll have a new role to play soon enough."

Her eyes glittered in the moonlight, with fury Neji was sure and, inexplicably, relief surged through him when she whisper-shouted back at him.

"Listen to yourself! I thought we were past this – past your anger, and your prejudices. You're acting like a twelve-year-old. Why can't you see that we did what we did to ensure your future? Our future! Or can you only think of yourself? Has it even occurred to you what Hiashi had to sacrifice – what he was _willing_ to sacrifice for you? He was going to step down, give power to you, so that you would be able to take control of your own life and keep your family safe! All you had to do was be patient – but as always you're too damned stubborn to see what's right in front of you! Why is it so impossible for you to see our actions as they were meant? We were trying to protect you!"

The clouds that had drifted in front of the full moon shifted out of the way and the cold, remote light filled the room. Neji could just make out the silver flush of anger that tainted her skin and, absurdly, he felt the urge to laugh. He'd never thought he'd miss Tenten railing at him. The thin nightdress she was wearing did little to hide anything, with the light shining from behind, and without thought Neji reacted to the sight – emotion was running high in the room, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, and he instinctively reacted to it. Tried to get rid of the feelings roiling inside by getting them out. He dragged her roughly forward, his arms closing around her in a steely embrace as his lips sought hers.

To his surprise she opened her mouth willingly, her tongue snaking out to coil greedily with his. Neji suppressed the groan that wanted to slide from his chest and backed Tenten to the bed, her unresisting body collapsing onto the mattress at the pressure of his weight over her.

The oh-so-familiar haze settled on him, and he forgot about being angry at her, forgot about her betrayal, forgot about anything except the here and now. Their tongues coiled together in a sinuous dance and Tenten shifted to wrap her legs around his waist, a low moan falling from her lips.

It was too much, far too much. If nothing else, she'd always been able to make him want her with a mindlessness that he found disturbing in calmer moments. This wasn't one of those calm moments and Neji gave up the battle he knew he had no chance of winning.

Drawing back, Neji placed both his hands at the neckline of her nightgown and ripped the garment in two. The ragged pieces fell from her body and she stared up at him, desire gleaming in her eyes as her tongue slicked out to trace a line over kiss-swollen lips. He was already so ungodly hard, had been from the moment she'd pressed against him, and in that instant he realized that he'd lost control, completely, as never before. He was as much at the mercy of his body as she was.

Instinct guided him to remove all their clothing, so skin could touch skin, but the side of him that had taken over cared very little for her enjoyment of the act – that side only wanted her aroused enough to heighten his own pleasure.

Unerringly his hands drifted over her skin, his tongue following, to stimulate every sensitive nerve-ending he'd ever discovered in more leisurely explorations of her body. Tenten moaned his name and his body exulted, took it as capitulation, He raised his head from her breast, breathing harshly, staring into her eyes as he allowed his hand to slide down her stomach. Wet heat enveloped his fingers as he pushed into her roughly and he decided it was good enough. It had to be.

Surprise reflected in Tenten's eyes when he drew back again, kneeling between her spread legs and gripped her hips, pulling her toward him. One smooth roll of his hips sheathed him as deeply as he could go and Neji bit back the moan wanting to escape his throat. One thrust, two… deeper, quicker, harder, _faster_… he shifted again, so his weight was supported on his arms, his body covering hers as his hips slammed roughly forward again and again.

"I'm sorry," he groaned against her lips, his voice harsh with desperate bliss, aware that she was nowhere near pleasurable release but he couldn't stop moving, couldn't keep from exploding inside of her. Tenten kissed him slowly, somehow heightening the pleasure further.

"It's okay," she whispered into his hair, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close as he collapsed on top of her, his body trembling.

Neji had ever been one to express himself through physical acts, and Tenten couldn't help but hope that it had been enough to exorcise the anger, that it would give him enough clarity to be open enough to listen but her hopes plummeted again when a while later, after his breathing had returned to normal, Neji drew away and quickly began to dress.

"That was unforgivable. I'm sorry," he threw over his shoulder, and Tenten desperately called after him.

"Neji, please, if you'll just _listen_ …"

He paused at the door without looking at her and whispered, "Nothing changes the fact that you wilfully and deliberately lied to me. How can I ever trust you again?"

Tenten stared at his back in silence, aware that nothing she could say _would _change the fact that she had lied, and when she stayed quiet, Neji disappeared as silently as he had come, leaving her to bury her face in the pillows, breathing in his scent all around her as the tears trickled slowly down her cheeks.

* * *

Neji threw his exhausted body down on his bed. There was no point in returning to the guestroom tonight. He wished his mind was as tired as his body but the thoughts swirled unrelentingly, the shame boiling through his veins making him uncomfortable in his own skin. For the first time in his life he had no justification for his actions, for the first time he felt ashamed of his behavior. It had been damn near rape – what he had just done to Tenten. Resolutely he stood again, headed for the shower, and after a quick wash sat down at his desk, hoping that work would be enough to restore his equilibrium.

Morning was a long time in coming but finally Neji judged it time for breakfast and he left his room with relief. He grabbed a quick bite of toast, not wanting to sit still to eat, and headed straight for his uncle's study. With any luck Hinata and Hanabi should begin their campaign today and he wanted to be on hand for the reaction.

To his surprise, the bamboo blinds were still drawn in his uncle's study. Hiashi was seated at his desk, indeed it looked as if he'd never left it the night before, his fingers stroking idly over the edges of an old, yellowed scroll. Curiosity flowed through Neji, the scroll was important – if the way his uncle reverently traced its edges as he read the words written on it were any indication. Neji's gaze narrowed as he took in Hiashi's unusually dishevelled appearance; his uncle showed distinct signs of a bad hangover when Neji entered his office. Then he recalled how he had felt after his father's death and had to admit that if he had been old enough he would also have drunk himself into a stupor.

His uncle stiffened, the only sign that he was aware of Neji's entrance. Neji watched closely, and with increasing confusion, as emotions flashed across his uncle's face. For the first time in his life Neji had no idea how to act in his uncle's presence. He'd never seen Hiashi display this much unwarranted emotion, the guilt, anger, shock - and maybe a slight trace of fear? – that had chased across his uncle's features only served to make Neji uncomfortable. He shifted slightly where he stood.

Guilt gripped him for a moment, as he contemplated what he was planning to do to the man in front of him, a man that had ever showed him kindness, his father's brother. Then Neji shook the thought away, he was only doing what he had to. There was no malice involved, no vengeance. And he clung to that thought with desperation when his uncle raised his bloodshot eyes to Neji's and said softly, "My grieving is done. With my father's passing I am the last one left who knows the hand seals for the activation of the Caged Bird curse."

Hiashi stood and held out his hand to Neji, "You have my word that those techniques will go with me to my grave – no one will ever suffer their effects again."

Silently Neji gripped the hand Hiashi held out, unsure of what to say or do. His uncle painfully made his way over to the floor cushions and groaned as he lowered himself into a sitting position, "Of course, the council will be harder to convince but we'll manage that eventually."

Unable to take any more Neji mumbled some excuse and fled the room. _If you do this you betray Hiashi's trust. How are you any better than Tenten then?_

* * *

_**a/n: I am inconsolable after manga chapter 614. I couldn't even bring myself to properly edit this so please excuse any mistakes. That being said I am busy with a proper tribute piece (called Awake) and I hope to have it up by next week – I'd appreciate it if you guys could maybe check it out once it's up … I just really can't write Neji at the moment. A big apology to everyone patiently awaiting updates (you guys are AWESOME) but my heart is in pieces. I'll try to get it together soon though ^^;;;; Please review, it will make the last twenty-four hours seem somewhat better!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Oh, wow, it's been months – and I'm soooo sorry for the delay … I hope I haven't lost everyone ^^" … So, here is the next chapter and I sincerely hope that the future chapters don't take months to get out!**_

_**A Special Note: For those of you following my SasukexTenten fic called 'Heaven': the group SasutenFans on deviantART is running a contest for the best fanart of a scene from Heaven. If you're interested please head over to the page on deviantART (#SasutenFans) for full details. You'll also find links in my profile on that site: #Nokito-chan. I'd really appreciate the support!**_

_**Okay, that's the end of the shameless plug. So … let's get this show on the road ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: Disclaimed**_

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

_In striking contrast to the funeral held in this same hall, under these same vaulted archways, only weeks before, the atmosphere was somber rather than sad. The entire clan was in attendance, uniformly clad in black, their heads bowed as they paid their last respects to a clan head that had been lauded for his abilities; not only in battle but in council as well._

_Hyuuga Hiashi kept his eyes firmly fixed on the opposite wall, never relaxing the stern set of his mouth, as line after line of Hyuuga passed him by on their way to lay white orchids on the black lacquered coffin at the front of the room. The wooden casket sat on its raised platform, surrounded by beautiful arrangements of white orchids, baby's breath and long-stemmed green leaves. Absently, Hiashi made a note to commend Hinata on her work; perhaps she would have made a better Hyuuga wife than a shinobi but it was far too late for those kinds of regrets and Hiashi forced himself to focus on his surroundings._

_A large photograph of his father, stern and demanding as always, sat next to the coffin on the pedestal but Hiashi found it much too difficult to focus his gaze on his father's image. The creeping guilt, no matter that Hiashi was sure of his course of action, refused to recede and he couldn't stop imagining his father's reaction to his plans. Despite the emotional distance between himself and his father, some small part of Hiashi could not help but mourn the loss of his last family member. He had his daughters, not to mention his nephew to follow strongly in his footsteps, but the last connection with his childhood had now faded away and Hiashi couldn't help but wish that he could enter his study and call for his father's advice. Truth be told, Hiashi was worried. More worried than he let on to Tenten. The regression he witnessed daily in Neji did not bode well. More and more Neji was coming to rely again on anger to pull him through – and everything else aside, Neji had to learn how to place the clan's well-being ahead of his own desires. Small frown-lines marred the smooth, unblemished expanse of Hiashi's forehead as he pondered ways to make his nephew see that the dark tunnel he was in would eventually give way to light._

_So lost in his thoughts, the silence of the mourners was so complete, that Hiashi barely even noticed the last line of people exiting the hall. After a few minutes alone, he gave himself a firm mental shake and briskly left the hall; heading towards his study where his father's personal papers awaited him._

Hiashi allowed the scroll to drop to the desk as he reached for another cup of sake. The events of the previous day - the funeral and his discovery - weighed heavily on his mind and for the first time in his life he allowed himself to seek oblivion in the rice-wine that stood, as always, in a glass decanter on his spacious desk. He was unable to put the scroll aside. Truthfully it changed nothing except for his own reactions; he kept mulling over its contents. The initial shock had been nearly crippling – it had him reaching for the sake almost without thought – but gradually it had worn off, and now Hiashi found himself with nothing except implications that could cause the implosion of the clan if not handled correctly.

Vision blurry from the sake swirling in his veins, Hiashi picked the scroll up again; read the words one more time. In the hope that they may have changed? He didn't know, but as his eyes traced the lines made by each character carefully Hiashi knew in his gut that what he read was truth. It explained so many things.

Why his father had never been able to treat Hizashi as harshly as he did Hiashi, why Hizashi had been unable to accept his allotted role in life, why Hizashi's son had inherited such prodigal talent.

Vaguely, Hiashi let the scroll drop again and leaned his head back against the chair. His eyes drifted shut. The sake lulled him into a false world where everything was as it had been – where no earth-shattering revelations had come to further complicate the path he had chosen. A puff of breath, almost a sigh, escaped his lips and as Hiashi drifted off to sleep he wondered if Hizashi had known …?

* * *

Hanabi lowered her head in an admirable display of shame and, if Hinata hadn't been so terrified, she would've laughed at the melodramatic expression of regret on her younger sister's face.

"Why?"

Her father's tired voice broke through the vague amusement and Hinata stood a bit straighter, fighting the blush that wanted to overcome her.

"Why would you deliberately sow discord in the clan? If you are that unhappy about Neji's instatement as my heir why did you not simply come to me with your grievance?"

Hanabi shot a sidelong glance at her sister and sighed inaudibly. The look of fright in Hinata's eyes had her worried. Would Hinata be able to play her part? She raised her head, chin angling defiantly, but kept her tone polite as she replied.

"Would you have listened to our complaints, Father?"

Hiashi ran a hand over his face and a pang of … _something_ ran through Hanabi like a cold finger tracing down her spine. Hiashi looked old and haggard. The grayish tone of his skin worried her – she'd never seen her father look so down-trodden. Then again, he'd never had a constant stream of Hyuuga elders through his door, complaining about his daughters announcing far and wide that the council was senile and that they used underhanded means to control the head of the clan; to force him to make decisions that were favorable to no one but the elders themselves.

"Hinata. When I ask you a question I expect you to answer." No hint of anger marred Hiashi's slightly hoarse voice but disapproval radiated off his body and Hanabi sighed again at the nearly visible trembling of Hinata's hands as she began twisting her fingers together.

"I-I …w-we, that is … We did not want you to think t-that we did not r-respect your c-choice," Hinata glanced at Hanabi who nodded encouragingly before she continued, her voice gaining strength as she recited the words they'd decided on for this meeting. "The fact of the matter is you were content with your own children as your heirs for years. Why did you suddenly decide to favor Neji? I apologize, Father, but we feel that the council has exercised undue influence on you in this matter." Hinata ended the sentence in a rush, the relief slumping her shoulders, and she quickly dropped her eyes again, thankful that her part in this was over – the rest of the talking would be up to Hanabi.

"We feel that the council has discriminated against us simply on the grounds of our gender," Hanabi took up the tale, "if they could prove to us that the decision was taken based purely on proficiency with the Byakugan and other qualities that Neji possesses and we don't, then it would not be a problem. However, when I approached them with such a request I was unceremoniously brushed off – they refused to answer a fair question, Father! These are not the actions of honest men. We meant no disrespect and we were not trying to stir a rebellion – we merely discussed the predicament we find ourselves in with a few others who were in agreement that the council is comprised of unfit representatives. I was as surprised as you to find that the youth of the clan feels that the elders do not keep their best interests at heart."

A slight darkening of Hiashi's eyes indicated his displeasure but no other expression of it appeared on his calm face, "Well, stir a rebellion you did. And forgive me if I don't quite believe you were only trying to advance the best interests of the clan. I have received no less than ten petitions calling for the dismissal of the current council and the election of a new one."

Hinata started, glanced from her father to her sister in dismay, and quickly dropped her gaze again when Hanabi sent a stern glare in her direction. Now was not the time to crumble under guilt because their actions had far-reaching consequences!

"We regret causing you any inconvenience, Father," Hanabi finally replied, carefully selecting her words.

Hiashi snorted indelicately – a sure sign that his patience was wearing thin. His composure never faltered, unless his daughters drove him to it.

"I am certain that you do, Hanabi."

Just a trace of sarcasm marred the words but Hanabi returned his stare with a bland one of her own. He stared searchingly at his elder daughter who tried her utmost to return his gaze but couldn't quite manage to contain the blush staining her fair skin.

"I would never have expected something like this from you, Hinata. I am torn between being grateful that you are finally showing that you do have Hyuuga blood, and worrying about the fact that you seem to allow your sister to lead you into ill-advised schemes."

The girls stood motionless while their father glared at them, until he finally jerked his head toward the door to his study, indicating that they should go. Two graceful bows seemed to go unnoticed as Hiashi turned his head away from his daughters as they made their way from the room.

"Well? What is your opinion on this matter?" Hiashi spoke once the girls had gone and a door behind his desk slowly creaked open to reveal his nephew leaning casually against the doorjamb of what appeared to be a small storeroom.

"You didn't tell them that three of the elders resigned in protest, citing 'the abominable ingratitude' of the clan at large when they found out that you were considering an election," Neji observed calmly, staring at his uncle's back.

"I didn't want them to think that their ideas were having that much of an impact," Hiashi sighed, and Neji unfolded himself from his position and walked around to sit in the chair in front of his uncle's desk.

Silence reigned while Neji slowly reached for the glass decanter of water that stood on his uncle's desk and poured himself a glass. He settled back in his chair and took a mouthful of water, staring at his uncle over the rim of the glass. For some reason his heart was pounding but his decision had been made and nothing mattered but ensuring that Haru and Himiko had bright futures. He cleared his throat to draw his uncle's attention away from the perusal of the petitions the latter had engaged in for the hundredth time.

"Uncle," he began formally when Hiashi looked up questioningly, "I have a proposal for you: what if we replaced two of the elders with Hinata and Hanabi? They would be included and stop creating trouble and the elders would be appeased because no election would take place."

Hiashi frowned, "It is a council of _elders_, Neji. How would I ever justify the inclusion of two girls younger than you?"

Inclining his head, Neji reached into the inside pocket of his traditional Hyuuga robes, donned for any interview with his uncle, and extracted an old, slightly damaged scroll. "This scroll contains the precedent you need. It seems that the Hyuuga clan of old had a better opinion of youthful abilities and included younger people in the council as well. Not just retired members of the clan qualify and I've double checked it with the law scrolls – there's nothing to prevent it."

Doubt creased Hiashi's forehead but he reached for the scroll and waved a hand toward the door indicating that Neji should leave him to study its contents. Fighting the slight smirk that wanted to escape – after all, his uncle also had eyes in the back of his head, figuratively speaking – Neji stood and gave a short bow before exiting the room.

_That was easier than expected – all that remains is for Hiashi-sama to agree. _

Somehow the satisfaction he expected to feel was absent – there was only slight guilt and emptiness inside him.

* * *

The rest of the week passed slowly as Neji waited impatiently for his uncle's decision. The days dragged and, having received no instructions to the contrary, his cousins continued to gather support for their cause – surreptiously of course. It would not do for Hiashi to become angrier at them. Thus Neji found himself in a strange position: every time he came upon a group of dissatisfied Hyuugas he was forced to disband the gathering before it attracted undue attention. Usually the mere presence of the heir was enough for them to hurry about their business but Neji didn't miss the calculating looks he received on these occasions. Whatever Hinata and Hanabi were telling them seemed to be working; slowly support for the heir grew, it was apparent in the way the shinobi treated him during their daily training sessions.

After his official instatement as heir Neji had resigned from ANBU, much to his relief. He'd always thought that there would be no greater achievement than joining the ranks of the most skilled shinobi but found that he didn't enjoy the cloak-and-dagger aspects of ANBU missions. His life contained more than enough secrets, plots and lies – he didn't need to face the less savory aspects of life twenty-four-seven. But having left ANBU Neji found himself with a lot more free time on his hands. Thus he'd decided to start fulfilling his duties as military commander. Of course there was no real set of rules for the position – no day-to-day duties required from him – the role was ceremonial for the most part, though the position would require action should there ever be a war. However, Neji believed in being prepared and he'd made sure to read everything in the Hyuuga library that pertained to his position. As a consequence of his research, he'd decided to revive the practice of daily training for the active shinobi of the Hyuuga.

Of course, most of them trained every day, regardless of disused practices, but not all of them trained daily against another Byakugan user. This was the greatest test of a Hyuuga's abilities. If a ninja was capable of wielding the Byakugan effectively most battles ended relatively quickly depending on how easy it was to land the crucial hits, but being paired with another Byakugan user strained their abilities as most of the advantages gained from the Byakugan were neutralized. Neji had started these sparring sessions, to much hilarity from some quarters, but as soon as the shinobi had completed the first of these sessions they'd also realized the advantages of it and any grumbling and mocking had died down.

Since Hinata and Hanabi had started their campaign Neji marked the difference in how the shinobi looked at him. It was a mixture of defiance and wary trust, as if they couldn't quite decide if Neji would fight for them against the council or if he'd be content with the status quo. It was actually quite hard to keep from sounding them out, to keep from announcing his intention of being an active leader, not a puppet of the council, but Neji forced himself to keep his distance. Familiarity bred contempt and he had much more control if the clan at large was unsure of how he would react. So, he forced himself to be patient, the time would come when he would have to actively gather support from all quarters but for now he could do nothing.

Instead he found himself spending more and more time in the nursery.

It was awkward.

And painful.

But Neji found that, as long as Tenten kept the jutsu in place, he could pretend that she was just another Hyuuga servant and that eased the atmosphere somewhat.

He watched in silence as Hinata giggled softly while Himiko struggled to build a tower of blocks. His cousin knelt within a circle of toys, the twins with her, though Haru showed more interest in pushing the blocks around than building them into any kind of shape. From the corner of his eye, Neji could just see Tenten hovering on the periphery of the circle, pretending to straighten the bookshelves, and the brief flashes of anger and pain that tightened her mouth surprised him.

For the first time, it occurred to him what Tenten had to go through on a daily basis. When not actively causing trouble with her sister, Hinata had taken to spending her free time with the twins and it was clear from their reaction that they loved the attention from their aunt. Initially Neji had approved of this whole-heartedly; it was good for the children to come into contact with others and Hinata's soft demeanor and gentle ways would set a good contrast to the more direct and forceful personalities of their parents, but Neji hadn't stopped to think how Tenten might feel about it.

As a mere Hyuuga servant she would be expected to withdraw and remain hidden in the shadows whenever Hinata chose to enter the nursery. As a good servant she would have to defer to the daughter of the clan head, would have to relinquish her children to their aunt.

Forever in the background, never fully able to claim them as her own.

Neji suppressed the instinctive wince that wanted to pull at the corners of his mouth and forced his heart to harden against the sympathy. It was no one's fault but her own that she found herself in such a position, he reminded himself. If she had so little faith in his ability to protect his family that she found it necessary to lie and cheat then whatever she had to suffer as a consequence was fully justified.

Carefully, he tore his gaze away, barely even noticing the pain that simmered softly beneath the anger and focused his attention on Haru. The child had crawled over to his father, block in hand, and mindful of his previous mistakes, Neji focused his full attention on the small boy. Haru's pearly eyes shone with excitement at being the center of his father's attention; he babbled a continuous stream of nonsense and the bright blue block clutched in one plump fist was waved in the air over his head.

Abruptly Haru pulled the arm holding the block back as far as he was able and let go. There wasn't much power behind the throw but it sailed in a true arc aiming directly for Neji's nose. Only quick shinobi reflexes allowed Neji to overcome his surprise and he leaned back just in time to avoid being hit by the flying piece of wood. In amazement he stared down at the chortling baby, Haru was banging his hands gleefully on his knees. Surely the child hadn't _meant _to actually throw the block, had he?

A small, snide snort of laughter, quickly suppressed, came from Tenten's corner and Neji's eyes narrowed as he glared at her back.

"Oh! He's learned to throw already!"

Hinata's soft voice broke through Neji's thoughts and he turned his attention to his cousin, who was staring at Haru with interest.

"He must've inherited Tenten's aim," Hinata continued thoughtfully, a touch of sadness coloring her eyes a darker hue at the mention of Tenten's name.

Neji very carefully forced himself to not react – to not stare at Tenten in instinctive acknowledgement - and from the corner of his eye he saw her back stiffen.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hinata. He's barely old enough to sit up on his own – there's no way he meant to throw that block. It was accidental, that's all," Neji muttered in his cousin's direction, ignoring her flush and Tenten's side-long frown, as he turned his attention back to his son, handing over the block once more.

"I-I'm sorry, Neji-nii," Hinata murmured, "I didn't meant to mention-″

"It's fine, Hinata. Let it rest."

Silence descended again, aside from the gurgles and giggles of the children, but the previously peaceful mood had been shattered and Neji glanced at the clock before stroking Haru's cheek softly. As if the child already knew his father's way of saying goodbye his little face crumpled and tears filled his eyes. Before he could begin wailing like a banshee, Neji quickly got to his feet, child in his arms, and placed Haru back next to Himiko where he was swiftly occupied with trying to push over the tower of blocks his sister had managed to put together with Hinata's help.

"You're going already?" Hinata asked in surprise, as Neji stroked Himiko's cheek in farewell too and straightened from his crouched position.

"Hn," Neji nodded and at his cousin's expectant look he reluctantly elaborated, "Gai and Lee should be here shortly."

Hinata nodded and turned back to the twins but as Neji turned and crossed the distance to the door he was very aware of Tenten's gaze burning into his back. He could almost feel the questions she was asking in her head. Without acknowledging in any way that he was even aware of her presence Neji slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway.

_Let her wonder_.

* * *

The door slid quietly shut behind Neji and Tenten forced the frustration to leave her features; allowed deep breaths to smooth out the lines on her forehead and the pull at her lips. She turned back towards the books she'd been pretending to arrange and nearly jumped a foot into the air when Hinata's soft voice spoke up behind her.

"Don't mind him too much," the shy girl seemed a lot more at ease now that the stern presence of her older cousin had left the room, "He's just in a bad place right now."

Tenten suppressed her snort with much difficulty and dropped her eyes respectfully, "It is not my place to pass judgment on Neji-sama," she replied, her tone as soft as Hinata's.

Long dark hair swung silkily around Hinata's shoulders as she shook her head slowly, "No. But you love the children. I've watched you with them." She stared up at Tenten, an almost calculating frown on her face.

Fighting with all her might to keep her back from stiffening defensively Tenten forced herself to smile slightly before returning to her fake task.

"It is impossible to not love them, Hinata-sama."

"And because you love them, you want to protect them from anything that might hurt them. It's only natural. But, rest assured, you don't have to protect them from Neji-nii. He might not be very good at showing it but he does love them."

Hinata didn't wait for Tenten to respond, which was just as well, as Tenten had no idea of how to answer the other girl's statement. Hinata laughed softly at the children's antics and began to help them stack more blocks onto the tower and for a moment Tenten thought she was off the hook but then Hinata spoke again, without looking up from her tower of blocks.

"He loved their mother very much. I think that maybe being with them reminds him of her and sometimes that's just too much to bear. But he's not inherently unfeeling or cruel so he tries not to make the twins suffer for his inability to deal with emotion. Unfortunately, he has no compunction about taking his foul temper out on the adults that surrounds him – so if he's rude and cold don't take it to heart. I think the children understand that he doesn't direct any of the bad emotions at them. Don't you, sweetheart?" Hinata directed the last at Himiko who was staring up at her aunt as if she understood every word, and as Hinata dropped a soft kiss on top of the downy dark head, Himiko let loose a stream of gibberish all the while staring seriously up at Hinata.

Every nerve Tenten possessed was stretched to breaking point; every fiber of her being ached to simply break down and sob the truth out onto Hinata's understanding shoulder but she forced herself to harden, forced the emotions to recede, forced every thought from her head as she focused on replying with some sort of composure.

"I-I'll bear that in mind, Hinata-sama," she finally managed thickly before muttering an excuse and fleeing the room with as much dignity as she could.

The door slid shut behind her and, alone in the shadowy hallway, Tenten leaned her head back against the wall as she fought frantically for the strength to continue along her chosen path. That path might secure the futures of her children but, for the first time, Tenten faced the possibility that Neji might not be waiting for her at the end of it.

* * *

Neji waited impatiently at the gates of the compound for Gai and Lee to arrive. At the horizon he could make out a cloud of dust, interspersed with flashes of green, and Neji clenched his teeth in irritation. Leave it to Gai and Lee to make a spectacle of themselves.

After all this time, he should have been used to it – and for the most part he barely even noticed their antics anymore – but today was different. Today he needed them to make a show of their strength not of their idiocy! Neji fought against the heat that wanted to rise to his cheeks as he became aware of the intent gazes that was fixed on his back from the gathering crowd of Hyuugas. Gai and Lee were drawing inexorably nearer and Neji frantically combed his thoughts for ideas on how to handle this. He was already ridiculed for taking the position of military command so seriously, he was resented for implying that the clan had grown weak by forcing them to take part in daily sparring sessions, and now he was bringing in outside help?

Finally, he decided to simply ignore the green duo's behavior – much as he would've done at any other time in his life. The clan would simply have to learn to do things his way. Relaxing the muscles in his shoulders one by one Neji took a deep breath. In time they would all come to realize that bringing in outside help would strengthen them all. Neji himself, though he specialized in the clan's trademark Gentle Fist technique, had learned through the years with Gai to incorporate a side of hard-hitting taijutsu into his signature style and he was stronger for it. If you lulled your opponent into thinking that you were merely going to attack using taijutsu it _created _the opening needed to attack with Gentle Fist; to land the hit that would end it all. But, in order, to teach this to the rest of them Neji needed someone strong, someone respected for his abilities and someone with a thick enough skin to withstand the attitudes they were bound to encounter from within the clan.

There had been no one else aside from Gai and Lee.

The green blurs drew to an abrupt halt directly in front of Neji – who never flinched out of the way or uncrossed his arms – and they threw their arms around each other, identical rivers of tears streaming down their faces.

"It is a draw, Lee!"

"Gai-sensei, I am so proud!"

Neji gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, kept his expressionless mask firmly in place, and prayed for patience.

* * *

_**A/N: So how'd I do? Please don't forget to check out #SasutenFans on deviantART for the contest details relating to my SasukexTenten fic 'Heaven'. You could win a oneshot of your choosing by yours truly and other prizes!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the previous chapter. I hope you'll enjoy this one!**_

_**Warnings: Again, this is rated M … expect anything**_

_**Disclaimer: It would suck to get sued so, no, I do not own Naruto or the characters used in this story**_

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_**Chapter 11**_

Shadow melted seamlessly into shadow, the rays of light shining from under doorways only serving to deepen the pools of blackness, as Neji slipped silently through the corridors of the main house. Every muscle in his body ached but he welcomed the burn. In the months since he'd introduced Gai and Lee's 'youthful' brand of training to the clan he'd been unable to join the training sessions as often as he'd like and he'd forgotten the workout it provided. Of course, the green-clad duo had been the source of much hilarity to the assembled Hyuugas at first but, as the days turned into weeks and frost hardened the ground, the Beasts of Konoha had earned the respect of the Hyuuga clan. Neji suspected that they'd been surprised by how hard he had to work to keep Gai at bay during their demonstrative spar. He was a prodigy the likes of which Hyuuga hadn't seen for many generations and he was driven to such extremes by a mere taijutsu user … Neji couldn't keep the smirk to himself. Much as he hated to admit it, he'd felt a fleeting stab of pride in Lee and Gai at the time. They'd more than held their own during the spars with various Hyuuga shinobi – as soon as they'd settled down to concentrate on the task at hand their usual antics had been put aside and they'd made the display of strength Neji had wanted from them.

Gradually the lights shining from underneath doors became further and further apart as Neji neared the older east wing, where fewer rooms were occupied, until at last the dark draped over him in a continuous cloak of night. Neji shivered, for the first time really feeling the chilly temperature, and stuffed his cold-reddened hands deep into the pockets of his black jacket. His eyes adjusted quickly and he followed the footsteps in the dust cursing quietly under his breath; how many times did he have to tell Hinata and Hanabi to hide the signs of their presence?

The pale, silver moonlight streaming into the hallway through large, arched windows provided the only source of light and Neji paused in the shadow of one as he did another quick sweep of the surrounding areas; just to make sure no one was watching. Months of hard work had finally paid off; no longer would he and his cousins need to tread the fine line between causing unrest and outright rebellion. Tonight, for the first time in many meetings, he actually had good news to share. Tonight he would be able to tell his cousins that their faith in him had been justified, that the council and their father had finally agreed. This time next week Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Hanabi would be fully instated members of the Hyuuga clan council with all the rights and duties pertaining thereto.

Neji stared out at the moon-bathed gardens, lost in thought. He barely noticed the thin layer of ice that covered the ground shining in the weak light. Truth be told, the first indication he'd had of winter had been when he'd woken up one morning, shivering under a thin sheet. He'd promptly informed housekeeping of his need for blankets, had dug his winter clothing from the back of the closet, all the while firmly pushing the thoughts of Tenten to the back of his mind. But, despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but remember, couldn't help but miss the way she would curl up next to him, burrowing into his warmth and keeping him warm in the process. He'd never admit it but he'd much rather have her back in his bed instead of the second blanket he'd been forced to request.

Neji folded his arms, a frown marring his brow, his eyes fixed on the bare tree-tops. The twins were nearly nine months old now and seemed to be growing every day … he'd begun to measure their progress in leaps and bounds, and yet the progress between their parents was nearly non-existent. Every time he saw her, every time they met in the nursery or the grounds, or anywhere for that matter, he resolved to try and make things right. Only he never did.

New Year was drawing steadily closer and with it the due date for his latest resolution. The new year would be a fresh start, a clean slate, and perhaps that was all he and Tenten needed. The twins deserved to have an uncomplicated childhood. Everything he was doing was to ensure that, and it included parents who didn't act like complete strangers. He'd not missed how Tenten would retreat every time he entered the nursery, how she would disappear and leave him alone with the kids. He hated it.

It was time to put it behind them; to move forward and leave the past to the past. A new year, a new start, a new beginning for their family… Neji resolved anew to try then firmly cleared his mind of thoughts about family. For now he had good news to depart to his cousins so he quickly made his way towards the door behind which he knew they would be waiting, keeping as close to the shadowy wall as he could.

He eased the aged shoji door open and slid inside quickly. As soon as the door was shut silently behind him two shadows dissolved into the dark shapes of his cousins as the three moved quietly to the middle of the room, where their shadows would not be distinguishable from outside if anyone was looking through the window.

"We've spoken to damn near every clan member at least ten times now," despite the whisper Hanabi's tone of irritation was clearly distinguishable, "and I'm tired of whistling the same tune. Are we done yet?"

"Hanabi," Hinata's voice was steeped in disapproval, "I've told you to be patient again and again!"

She turned to Neji, he could see her eyes glimmering in the dark, containing what he surmised was an apologetic look, if her twisting fingers was anything to go by. Before they could start a whispered argument - an occurrence that took place far too often at these clandestine meetings of theirs - Neji decided to share the news.

"Your instatement as full council members takes place next week."

His voice was low and utterly without inflection but he couldn't quite keep the excitement tamped down inside. After all this, after all the work and the worry, he was finally a step closer towards completing his goal.

Hinata and Hanabi had both frozen at his whispered announcement and now they rounded on him, both pairs of white eyes shining like beacons in the dark.

"I'm serious. Hiashi-sama barely took any convincing in the end – you played your parts so well he really had no choice. He informed me this morning – he'll doubtless call you in to tell you soon, so act surprised – we don't want him to be suspicious."

Both girls nodded fervently, one with the glint of determination in her eyes, the other with doubt, but Neji decided that he couldn't worry about their reactions to Hiashi as well. Thus far he'd trusted them to play their parts and they'd not let him down. He'd save the lecture for a day they really needed it.

"Go. Hinata first. Hanabi, wait ten minutes and I'll follow after."

They nodded and Hinata immediately headed for the door, sliding it open cautiously and checking if the coast was clear before she disappeared into the darkened corridor. Silence descended between Neji and his youngest cousin as the minutes ticked slowly past. Neji sank to the floor and settled into the lotus position, clearly giving his cousin the signal that he had no desire to talk any further and he was thankful when Hanabi took the hint and remained quiet.

The only sounds were the slight noises Hanabi made as she shifted restlessly from foot to foot, waiting for her turn to leave, but Neji kept his eyes firmly closed and pretended to be halfway to nirvana. Wearily he contemplated the next item on his mental list.

The customary New Year's Eve festival would be taking place in two days.

He hated festivals. He hated the damn constricting yukata, he hated being forced to make small talk as he travelled from group to group – and in the past, Tenten had made the occasion, if not exactly fun, then bearable at least but he'd never had to network as would be required of him this year …

He forced the grimace to remain mental only as his thoughts returned to the continual, if proverbial, thorn in his side.

Tenten.

The start of a new year would see all of them taking their new places in life and he wanted them to do that with a clean slate. The only thing that mattered was the children … and his plan had never been to deprive them of their mother.

The slight rustle of heavy winter clothing and the soft creak of the door alerted him to Hanabi's departure and Neji allowed himself the small shake of his head before he slowly unfolded his frame from the floor. There was no real danger of being discovered. He'd done a sweep of the entire area prior to even leaving his bedroom and again before entering this room. To the best of his knowledge no one had even the slightest inkling that a meeting had taken place here tonight, but he felt that the cloak-and-dagger aspect would impress upon Hinata and Hanabi how secretive they needed to be.

Neji quickly exited the room, making sure to keep far enough behind his cousin that she wouldn't be aware of the fact that he'd left so quickly after her, and only breathed a sigh of relief once he was safely back in the warmth of the main library. He sank down into the chair, the desk he'd been using earlier that day still littered with his papers, the glowing embers of the fire still providing ample warmth, and returned to his previous contemplation.

Truth be told, he didn't want to fight Tenten too. He couldn't afford to. With so many potential enemies so near he couldn't spare the energy it took to maintain the wrath … no matter how much she deserved it. With a deep sigh, Neji squared his shoulders and resolved to do what needed to be done.

For his children he would swallow his pride … his anger …

For his children he would try to make it right with their mother because soon enough all would settle down and they'd be able to have a normal childhood. And a normal childhood entailed a mother and a father who weren't locked in a battle of wills; the one more stubborn than the other.

It couldn't be that a part of him, buried deeply, missed her.

It wasn't that at all.

* * *

The morning had been busy. Tenten sighed and, out of habit, raised a wrist to her forehead to swipe at the bangs that would by now have been clinging wetly to her forehead. But her wrist met only smooth skin somewhat dampened by sweat and with a start she realized that she'd become so accustomed to her current form that she barely felt out of place anymore.

Before she could really contemplate the implications of that Himiko wailed and Tenten hurried over to pick the little girl up. Both children had begun teething, seemingly overnight, and Tenten had nearly reached her breaking point – how much more could she take? A nearly sleepless night had been spent alternating between one crying, sick baby and the other. It seemed as if, as soon as she laid Haru down to peaceful sleep, Himiko would start up and before she could silence one the other would begin screaming again …

Tenten gritted her teeth to keep from crying out of sheer frustration. At first she'd been only relieved, despite the quick development of motor skills, despite their obvious intelligence, the twins had been late in teething. All the books she'd read had told her that they should have started teething months ago – by rights they should have cut their first teeth before the seven month mark … none of the books had prepared her for the actual event taking place. They'd warned of fevers and bad tempers, had told new parents to expect illness and sleepless nights but Tenten rather suspected those books were written for parents with only one baby at a time.

How Neji had slept through the racket they'd made she had no idea – unless he'd moved to a guestroom again. And that was the worst part of all … he hadn't even come to see what was going on and Tenten firmly resolved to throw the first heavy object that came to hand at his head the next time she saw him.

_Unfeeling bastard … dereliction of duty … couldn't be bothered to help … not just my kids … I HATE him …_

Frantic, and somewhat incoherent, thoughts chased across her mind as she whispered soothing words to the unhappy baby in her arms, bouncing her lightly but that only made it worse as Himiko's wails reached a new decibel level altogether. Haru immediately chimed in, sitting up and holding on to the slats of his crib, his little face scrunched up as he wailed along with his sister. Tenten immediately headed over to him and, after putting Himiko down next to him, crouched down in front of them, tears shining in her eyes as she whispered to them.

"Please, I'm not that bad a mother, am I? You guys have to go through this and I know it sucks but I can't make it better for you if you don't give me a chance-″

Her desperate whispers were cut off abruptly as she realized that they were suddenly both quiet, staring with tearfully pathetic expressions at something just behind her. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she stood slowly and turned to face Neji.

He gave her a strange look – no doubt due to her disheveled appearance – by way of greeting and bent over to stroke each wet, warm and red little cheek as the twins regarded him with woebegone expressions of self-pity.

"What's the matter?" he asked them softly, sinking down into a crouch in front of them.

Himiko immediately let loose a stream of unintelligible babble as she reached out a little hand to clutch at Neji's fingers while Haru continued sniffling piteously as he grabbed for a lock of long, chocolate hair that had fallen over Neji's shoulder.

Neji nodded seriously as he stared at his daughter, as if he understood every word, and carefully removed his hair from his son's grip with his free hand before handing Haru an index finger that the boy promptly stuck in his mouth, his small eyelids closing in bliss as he chewed on his father's finger.

Tenten stuck her hands into her sweaty hair. Unbelievable.

It was fucking _unbelievable_.

She'd spent all night with them, trying to comfort them, smearing their gums with the prescribed paste as often as she was allowed and _nothing _had calmed them. No matter how she sang or hummed or read or danced or tried to distract them with toys … nothing had worked. And Neji only had to sweep in and spare them one glance and suddenly they were as calm as anyone could wish them to be?

The sheer unfairness of it all welled up in her chest and she closed her eyes in defeat, struggling to control emotions that sleeplessness had only served to heighten to snapping point. When she opened her eyes again, it was to see both babies lying on their backs, their eyelids drooping sleepily, as Neji stroked each slightly fevered cheek. Within seconds they were both out for the count and Tenten's mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut when Neji turned to level her with a curious look.

"Are they ill?" he asked, strangely subdued.

She could see the way anger sparked in the pearly depths of his eyes and suddenly it was all just too much.

"Yes, Neji, they are ill," she whisper-shouted at him, agitation revealed by the strangled quality of her voice, "they're teething – finally – of course they're ill! And don't you dare look at me like that, I'm perfectly aware of the fact it's much later than babies normally cut teeth!"

"Like what?" His tone was still strangely calm as he grasped her elbow and propelled her out of the nursery and into her bedroom before she woke the twins again.

"Like I'm not taking care of them, like I'm doing something wrong and that's why they're late in developing with some things – like I'm a bad mother!"

Her voice reached hysterical pitch though she was still whispering and Neji tried his utmost to keep the confusion he was feeling from showing on his face – he'd never implied that she was a bad mother, had he?

He opened his mouth but never got a chance to get the words out, which was just as well as he had no idea what to say. There was a puff of smoke and suddenly he was holding on to nothing but air, and when it cleared Tenten – looking like herself – stood across from him, her arms folded over her chest in a defensive stance. Her eyes were blazing with a mixture of anger and tears but he could see the dark rings around them and swiftly surmised that he'd missed an entire night of the twins wailing at the top of their lungs – and that was probably the actual problem.

He quickly stepped closer.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help last night," his tone was formal, his new-found resolution to try and patch things up with Tenten at the forefront of his mind, "I was working in the library. Why didn't you call me?"

Tenten's knees seemed to give way as she sank onto the edge of the bed and wiped an angry hand across her eyes.

"Maybe because you hate me," she whispered, all the fight suddenly gone from her voice.

Neji's eyebrows rose. She must be even more exhausted than he'd thought; to make such an admission. The rational part of him relished the small victory but that protective part of him surfaced at the sight of her tears, and at the notes of pain in her voice, and he sighed deeply as he contemplated her slumped form

"Hn," he finally grunted before clearing his throat when Tenten rolled her eyes as if to say 'typical' and added, "Nothing you do will make any difference to when they start teething – or developing in any way."

Her tear-filled eyes stared intently at him, filled with wary hope, and though Neji hated himself for having to crush that hope he knew that if they had any chance of making things right they had to be honest with each other.

"In the future don't try to do everything alone, they're my children too."

All the fight seemed to leave her and her slim shoulders began to shake. To Neji's astonishment she leaned forward and buried her face in her hands as sobs wracked her body. Not knowing what else to do he remained where he was and let her cry but then he began to distinguish the muffled words she sobbed into her cupped hands.

"Maybe I am a bad mother. You made them happy again. I couldn't. I tried so hard, Neji , but they just wouldn't calm down… and they're not doing everything like they're supposed to – I must be doing something wrong!"

Slowly he moved forward slightly, took another small step, until that he could sit next to her on the bed, and almost without his volition his arms locked around her; one hand stroking soothingly over her hair as the other stroked down her back.

"You're not a bad mother, Tenten."

The whispered words, slightly muffled by her hair, seemed to do the trick and her sobs slowly trailed away into the occasional hiccup as Neji moved out of the way and pushed her down onto her bed.

"Get some sleep – I'll watch them today."

Her eyes closed trustingly and within minutes she was fast asleep, her breathing deep and even. Neji slowly let himself out of the room and back into the nursery where he spent the rest of the day; a mostly silent sentinel as he watched over his children and their mother. Tenten had been too tired to reactivate the jutsu and, whatever her reasons, Neji could respect that she needed to hide who she was. So he stayed, stayed and made sure that no one could disturb her; wondering all the while why he was going to such lengths to protect her secret when she'd done nothing but betray him.

* * *

The New Year's celebration.

Tenten had always loved festivals – but New Year's Eve was her favorite. There was just something so magical about the idea of a fresh start blanketed in layers of ice, as if to preserve it. The residents of Konoha bundled up, their breaths steaming in little clouds in front of their faces as they strolled through the main roads where the stalls were set up. She loved visiting the temples, watching the faces of other people as they lit fragrant incense sticks in hope of a new beginning; the trust in their eyes proclaiming their faith in whatever deity they prayed to. Neji had always thought it silly that she would trust to hope in such a way; though he'd always come with her if she asked, would stand by her side as she lit the incense and waited for the gong to sound, and placed all her hope on the year to come. She always left the temple feeling a new spring in her step as she enjoyed the sensation of the year lifting from her shoulders; her mistakes consigned to the past.

This year she was attending in a different capacity though and she couldn't help the knots that tied her stomach into a writhing, nervous mass. It was the first time she would be close enough to her friends to speak to them – she hadn't seen anyone since her 'funeral' and she was dreading it. Surely she would slip up, say something or do something that would result in her cover being blown …

Firmly she reminded herself that she was attending in nanny capacity– her attention would be occupied with the children; she wouldn't have time to talk to anyone. Deep inside there was a constant ache of sadness … it was the twins' first New Year celebration … they should have been spending it as a family …

Sighing she supposed she should be grateful to Hinata for the opportunity to show her children the sights at all. Hinata was a regular visitor to the nursery and it had been her suggestion that she, her sister and Tenten take the twins out for the day. Another reason to be nervous – Hanabi.

Though Hinata spent a lot of time with her niece and nephew, and Tenten thus knew what to expect and how to act, Hanabi did not. Hinata never came to the nursery without gifts for the twins, from Hanabi, but her actual visits were rare. The youngest Hyuuga sister always kept aloof, though Tenten suspected the strange looks Hanabi shot her sister from time to time, if they happened to visit at the same time, or met out in the gardens, was envy. Hanabi didn't know how to show her affection, so she bought gifts … but that she cared about her young niece and nephew was apparent … it was impossible not to love them after all, and Tenten didn't think she was being biased at all.

As always Neji wasn't far from her thoughts and, as she pinned her hair into a single bun high on her head, she contemplated the change in his behavior. It was as if, since the morning when she'd lost her head completely, he had been treading on eggshells around her. He was no longer angry and hostile, alternately glaring at her as if he could make her evaporate if he did it long enough or ignoring her completely, instead he was strangely formal. And she wasn't sure if she hated the distance that had sprung up between them more than she'd hated the animosity. At least, when he'd been angry at her, he'd had some passion in him. Now he was distant, not cold, certainly not discourteous, but there was a definitive wall he'd put up between them, a wary distance he maintained that told her quite clearly that his previous anger had masked deep hurt.

Tenten sighed. She'd not spoken to Neji yet that day but she'd already decided to take the twins to the festival – irrespective of whether their father could be bothered to spend some time with them at such an important milestone. Vaguely Tenten felt a pang of guilt at her thoughts; she was being unfair. Neji tried. He really tried. And for the most part he succeeded. Not a day went by that he didn't spend some hours in the nursery, and she often heard him whispering softly to the sleeping twins when he thought she'd already gone to bed. The fact remained that he was busy, and she tried to be grateful, for the children's sake, that he made an effort. But she hated this, hated that they were so close and yet so far. She wanted them to be a family, as they had been in the early days, when they'd been on the run … but, try as she might, she couldn't quite blame him for not joining them on this day. She knew that as the new Hyuuga heir he was under a lot of pressure – many of the responsibilities for the New Year's celebration within the clan had fallen to him. In fact, as of late, Neji had shouldered more and more of the daily demands from the clan. Hiashi had been strangely withdrawn … shut up in his study more often than not, indifferent to the curious looks and demands on his time. He merely delegated whatever needed to be done to Neji.

Sometimes she wondered if she'd dreamed it all – the short, idyllic days when they'd been together with no worries about clans, politics and successions. When Neji had still been someone she recognized. In the months since their return he'd fallen so smoothly back into old habits that she could scarcely believe he'd ever been different. It was as if his heart had iced over with the coming of winter and the only indications to the contrary was that there were moments he spent with the twins, carefully masked from her, of course. Sometimes it seemed as if he wanted to say something, there was a softer light in his eyes, but inevitably the cold would snuff out the flash of warmth before it could blaze and Tenten had nearly given up hope of Neji ever forgiving her. She wished, so much and so often, that it had nearly become her mantra, hoping that Neji would treat her the way he did the twins; as if no action was too small for his notice, as if every babbling word was of the utmost importance. His eyes barely left them when he was in the nursery, as if he wanted to commit every aspect about them to memory …

She shook her head frantically, nearly loosening her hair from its pinned place, and quickly rose from the bed. No point in dwelling on could've beens.

She entered the nursery, thankful that the worst of the teething seemed to have passed … there were hard little nubs on the fronts of Haru and Himiko's gums though the emerging teeth were barely visible as yet, and Tenten took their return to good humor as a sign that the worst of this particular bout had passed. She was thankful for that, at least, since the only times Haru had been quiet while cutting the first tooth had been when he was chewing on Neji's fingers. She couldn't help the flash of humor; watching Neji with the fingers of one hand occupied by his son's small mouth, wincing through the occasional hard bite, while he tried to keep his sleeves out of his daughter's mouth had been amusing, something she wished they could've shared as a family. She turned her attention from her thoughts to the present and Himiko smiled sunnily up at her as Haru banged his fists on his knees and chortled up at her. She smiled and kept up a continuous stream of nonsensical talk as she fetched the double stroller from its cupboard in the corner.

They were avidly curious as she buckled them in, pulling at the straps, rolling their heads around to see everything she touched and by the time they met Hinata and Hanabi at the gates to the compound, Tenten was smiling just as happily as the babies she pushed in front of her.

* * *

Neji watched jealously from behind the bamboo blinds in his bedroom as Tenten pushed the stroller out the gates, a smile on her face as she tilted her head backwards to bask in the rays of the sun. He'd heard the gurgles and the happy giggles as she'd readied the twins for their outing and he'd decided to stay in his room. He'd made more than enough noise to let her know he was there but still … no invitation to join them had been forthcoming.

The trio – his family, damnit, and he couldn't even be with them – joined his younger cousins and disappeared around the corner and Neji slowly let the blind drop back into place with a clatter of wood against glass, as he resolutely turned his back to the window. He'd thought the past few days had been going rather well – things between him and Tenten, though strained, had been progressing nicely as far as he was concerned – no one had tried to kill anyone as yet and that had to be progress … but today she'd made it abundantly clear that she did not want or require his presence. Traditionally New Year's was a time for family, spent with family, and throughout the past few months Neji had had a vague idea in the back of his mind that by the time the first of the osechi (1) was prepared, his would be intact again…

Abruptly he decided that whether she wanted his presence or not, he would be damned if he'd sit here all day wondering what they were doing. Quickly glancing around the room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, or left anything incriminating out in full view, Neji left the room to join the twins' first festival of the year. _New year, new beginning … a fresh start. For once, I might have to light the incense with Tenten in the temple. Kami knows, we need all the help we can get._

* * *

Much later that night a still dazed Tenten lifted the sleepy twins into their beds, watching as the small, pink mouths yawned, as fists made lazy patterns in the air over their heads before falling down next to their cheeks as sleep claimed them. As soon as she was sure they were asleep she put the overhead light off, leaving the nightlight burning, and reached up to undo her hair.

She hadn't been able to believe her eyes when Neji had fallen into step beside her as she traversed the main streets of Konoha – filled with stalls, so many things to see, she'd never even noticed him behind her. He'd simply joined their little group, ignoring her for the most part, lavishing his attention on the twins, and ridiculous as it was, she hadn't been able to stop the pang of jealousy. There had been a time when he'd looked at her with love in his eyes too …

But soon enough the atmosphere had thawed and she'd resolved to try and enjoy herself, to put the past and the present and everything else on hold, when Neji had smirked at her as he handed her favorite dango over. She'd read the hesitance behind the small gesture, and she'd quickly accepted it with a shy smile of her own, wishing that he tried as hard to _listen_ when she talked … but she'd quickly banished that thought. Instead she focused on the paper fans Neji bought for each of the kids, she couldn't help but laugh at their expressions of wary delight as they'd waved the objects hesitantly over their heads. Of course, the presence of Hanabi and Hinata had made it difficult to talk with any real candor, and most of their communication had been through their eyes – but for the first time in months Tenten could feel that small, flickering flame of hope reawakening inside of her. She'd lit the incense in the temple, thankful that Hinata was kind enough to take over the twins for a moment, and she'd prayed as never before. A clean slate, a fresh start … that wasn't too much to ask, was it? Her eyes had been scrunched up tightly as she wished with all her heart for the chance to make it right again, and only that sixth sense she possessed where Neji was concerned had alerted her to his presence. Her eyes had flown open and though she hadn't seen him move, the incense in front of him had been lit … he'd studiously avoided her gaze and left to herd his cousins out of the temple, leaving her alone for a moment. Truthfully she hadn't known what to make of it…

The day had been filled with moments like those – memories she wanted to treasure – and when the twins had fallen asleep in their stroller as the afternoon wore on and the temperature became almost bearable, she'd almost been able to pretend that everything was as it should be. The adults had walked from stall to stall in companionable silence and Tenten had to carefully remind herself to keep her eyes downcast in humble Hyuuga servant attitude, to not allow the flame of hope to blaze from her eyes as she stared at Neji. It had been a relief with Hinata and Hanabi had left to join their father before the main dinner event that night and, though Tenten was sure the Heir and the Nanny had drawn many strange looks, she couldn't quite bring herself to care. It was time outside of reality, away from the demands of their lives and she'd reveled in the chance for their family to simply be. The fact that Neji hadn't left early with his cousins, and that he didn't seem to mind walking along with her for another hour was an added bonus she hadn't counted on.

It had ended far too soon of course, Neji had to return to the compound to be in time for the lavish Hyuuga banquet that night, and the disappointment she'd felt at having their time cut short had been quelled in favor of taking the children home for a bath and bed before they began to fuss and ruined the peaceful mood. She pulled their door ajar behind her as she headed into her room, the vague idea of waiting for sunrise at her window forming at the back of her mind.

The first sunrise of the New Year was a time for magic; a time for wishes much more powerful than those made on falling stars … hopeless as she knew it was Tenten was very sure of exactly what she'd wish for this year …

The hours passed quickly as she listened to the sounds drifting in through the window with the cold air. She could hear laughter, the stately music from the banquet, voices raised in joy. The icicles sparkled in the moonlight, so many branches coated in diamonds … she must've dozed though she never really fell asleep but in the still, gray light of the pre-dawn she woke fully when the numbness of her body from the cold could no longer be ignored. Tenten stood, shivering, and reached out to close the window when she heard the sound of a throat being cleared behind her. She whirled around in shock to stare at Neji, hovering in the doorway and still clad in a heavy yukata with the clan's insignia on the chest, before waving him inside with a sigh of relief.

"You scared me," she whispered reprovingly as he joined her at the window.

"Sorry," he muttered and continued staring at her until Tenten turned impatiently away from her vigil.

"What?" she demanded, hands rising to her hips.

"Come with me."

Neji held out a hand and though his tone was commanding, there was something in his eyes … the dim light made it impossible to identify but, whatever it was, it filled Tenten with warmth despite the cold air in the room. Hesitantly, her eyes continuously searching his, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her from the room.

They slipped silently through the dark corridors of the Hyuuga main house – everyone had either gone to bed or the more superstitious and sentimental were waiting to for their chance to wish on the sunrise - and when Tenten murmured a protest about leaving the twins Neji merely flashed the mobile speaker that was attached to a baby monitor in the nursery. Soon they were out of the house entirely, but Neji refused to let go of her hand as he led her across the lawn at the very back of the house and into a grove of trees.

Finally at their destination, Tenten shot Neji a wary look but he merely let go of her and smiled slightly as he said, "Change. It's safe –no one's here, I made sure."

The smoke had barely cleared before he grabbed her hand again and pulled her up into the tree with him. They climbed from branch to branch until they reached a wooden platform high in the boughs of an ancient tree. Panting slightly Tenten turned at the urging of Neji's hands on her back and gasped as she took in the view.

The tree branches opened in a gap directly ahead and above them – they were hidden in the evergreen branches, from below no one would see them, but the view was spectacular. She turned to Neji, her mouth opening, though she scarcely knew what to say.

"It's not a real wish if you don't make it outside – you've done so every year, haven't you?" he muttered uncomfortably as she simply continued to gape at him.

His eye was twitching slightly in that manic way that Tenten had always associated with Neji being particularly uncomfortable or irritated and she suppressed the smile, and the blush, at his nonsensical pronouncement, instead tilting her head backward and awaiting the first brush of pale dawn to light the sky.

_He remembered ... _

The sky turned rosy, the glow seeming to encompass the entire world as the sun slowly rose, and Tenten squeezed her eyes shut, her hand reaching for Neji's and her fingers twining through the spaces between his as if they'd been made to fit there and for some reason Neji found that he was unable to look away or pull away from her. He simply stood in silence as he watched the emotions play across Tenten's face. He waited quietly until she'd expelled the breath she'd been holding, until the small cloud of white condensation had dissipated in front of her, before he yanked at her hand to gain her attention. She turned expectantly, staring up at him with questions in her eyes, with hope pulling the corners of her mouth up into a small, shy smile.

"What did you wish for?" he asked quietly but she only smiled and shrugged.

"What did _you_ wish for?" she countered, and tried to pull her hand out of his.

Neji gripped her fingers tightly and responded slowly, "You know me better than that, Tenten. I don't believe in wishing on sunrises – but if I were the kind of man who made wishes like that then I would wish for …" his voice trailed away and he turned his head, a slight flush on his cheeks.

Tenten waited with bated breath but he didn't continue and finally she couldn't bear it any longer. She squeezed his hand – reveling in being allowed to touch him after all this time – and spoke quietly as if he was a fawn that would be startled by the slightest sound.

"You'd wish for?" she prompted.

"I want to make this right," Neji cleared his throat, turning and finally looking into her eyes, something like defiance coloring his voice, "I don't want a life like this for our children, Tenten. But I need you to understand that I can't turn forgiveness on and off like it's got a switch. I can't magically hand over my newly repaired trust in you – it will take time. Can you do that? Can you wait?"

Slowly, Tenten nodded her assent, the earnest tone of Neji's voice convinced her of his sincerity and as always she couldn't deny him anything when he asked with such an intent look, with so much meaning hidden behind what he really said.

Regaining her composure Tenten nodded again, her eyes meeting Neji's fearlessly and he gave her hand one small squeeze before allowing her to return to watching the last rays of the sun clearing the horizon. Tenten could feel her cheeks burn throughout … she knew him inside-out, knew his mind, his body, his soul … and yet they sat in chaste silence in the lengthening shadows, holding hands like little kids who were afraid of the dark and relied on the other's presence to anchor them…

They descended from the platform in the same silence, though it was not so fraught with hidden words and repressed anger; and when they reached her door and Neji pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her surprised mouth Tenten could feel the last of her angered hurt fading away. It took all of her strength to return the gentle pressure of his lips on hers before pulling away.

"Happy New Year, Neji."

The whisper was accompanied by a hopeful smile and the sentiment was echoed in the gleam of his eyes in the darkness as he squeezed her fingers briefly and disappeared into the last of the shadows that lingered in the hallway.

This time she didn't even really mind reactivating the jutsu. New beginnings … the fervent hope in her heart flared into uncontrollable joy as Tenten hugged the events of the day to herself, trying to absorb every good feeling into every hidden corner of her soul.

* * *

_Osechi – food for the New Year's celebration prepared on lacquered trays_

* * *

_**A/N: So … review? Please? –looks hopeful- **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/n: Oh, wow, I'm so sorry about the long delay! I was having some issues with this chapter … nonetheless I hope everyone enjoys and I look forward to your reviews ^^**_

_**Warnings: Sexual situations but nothing terribly explicit**_

_**Disclaimer: Disclaimed**_

* * *

_**Chapter 12**_

Defiance colored Neji's cheeks; the blood rushing to stain his fair skin and, if Tenten didn't know any better, then she would've said he looked ashamed. Or maybe that was only wishful thinking; only a trick of the lamp-light that fell in a buttery puddle in the middle of the room, obscuring the corners in darkness.

_He should feel ashamed! After what he's done…._

She squared her shoulders, forcing the incredulous thoughts to the back of her mind, and tried to focus on the confrontation she was determined to have. This time she wouldn't let him get away with turning the tables and blaming her …

"How … how could you _do _that?!"

Mentally Tenten couldn't help but wince at her tone; she sounded lost, confused … everything except the emotions she was actually feeling.

Neji arched an eyebrow at her, the slight flush of guilt having already receded, and Tenten couldn't contain herself any longer. Aware of the anger sparking fire in her eyes, of the rigid lines of her body as she stalked closer, Tenten distantly decided that she didn't care anymore. Even if the Hyuuga council's power hadn't been broken … even if she placed them all in danger, she couldn't keep the anger bottled up anymore. Mere inches away from Neji, she finally stopped, glared up at him and didn't miss the way he glanced towards the entrance to the nursery. The door was firmly shut but the thin walls would do little to disguise her voice raised in anger – and Tenten found she didn't care about that anymore either.

"Are you proud, Neji? Proud of what you've done – what you've become?"

Her voice was a hiss. Disdain seeped through every crack and nuance as she allowed her emotions free rein for the first time in nearly a year. With the loss of control Tenten could feel the jutsu sliding out of her grasp; smoke obscured her vision for a moment but when it cleared, she wasn't surprised that Neji hadn't taken the opportunity to disappear. This fight was long overdue, after all.

Her last crack seemed to have done the trick. Neji was no longer simply staring at her, cool mask firmly in place; anger had narrowed his eyes, darkening the pearlescent orbs, and flowed through every muscle – she could see the way his fists clenched.

"I did what I had to do. No more, no less. Think what you will."

Neji's tone turned dismissive, his body angled slightly as if he meant to leave, his fists slowly unclenching. To his surprise Tenten didn't move, instead her head bowed, trembling fingers raised to push locks of brown hair away from her forehead. When she raised her head again her eyes sparkled with suppressed tears. He froze in the doorway, uncertain for the first time. He'd known she wouldn't approve, had deliberately not confided his plans to her for exactly this reason – despite the new and growing closeness of the last few weeks. But Tenten's mouth twisted into a bitter smile and Neji could feel the newly repaired cracks in their relationship splitting even further apart.

"The Neji I love would never have stooped so low. Your uncle deserved better than this!"

Her voice was barely a whisper, following him into the nursery proper and out of her bedroom, but it was enough to spark the anger anew.

Provoked into unthinking rage, finally, Neji turned and stalked back into her bedroom. He slammed the door behind him, uncaring of the noise he was making.

"That's rich, coming from you," he hissed at her, noting the way she flinched back with satisfaction, "the way I was … the way you _made _me … I was weak! Whether you like it or not, whether you _approve_ or not, I am a Hyuuga … make your peace with that. I have."

He turned and quickly stalked away, before violent words escalated into violent actions. The last thing the twins needed to witness was their parents literally at each other's throats. At the door to the nursery he paused again, his hand on the knob. Silence greeted him, he could feel it swelling at his back; a wealth of malevolent feelings, all emanating from one small female a few feet away, and forced himself not to react.

"I don't even know who you are anymore."

Her voice was colored with confusion again; hurt making her voice deeper, huskier … but there was nothing left to say, so Neji forced himself not to turn back. It was far too late for either explanations or apologies.

_What's done is done, _he reminded himself firmly and tried to be thankful that he'd succeeded in this at least … his children would never have to bear the yoke that continually dragged him down. As he slowly stepped out into the hallway, firmly refusing to meet the wide-eyed stares of the servants hovering uncertainly, Neji tried to still the ache in his soul.

If the price for his children's future was Tenten, then so be it and, if given the choice, it was a sacrifice he would make again.

* * *

_Thirty-eight hours ago…_

"I will take lunch in the gardens with my children, thank you," Neji announced as he strode into the nursery.

Tenten glanced up at him in surprise, her lips quirking in a smile when she saw the commanding look on his face, as he glanced down at her, Hinata and the twins.

"I-I … of course, nii-san," Hinata murmured, rising gracefully to her feet though she shot a strange look at Neji from the corner of her eye, "I'll alert the kitchens."

"Everything is already prepared, Hinata-sama," Neji returned, "your own meal awaits you in the parlor with your sister, I understand."

Hinata stilled for a moment, surprised at being so unceremoniously dismissed, but then she shrugged slightly. With a smile and a wave at the twins she quickly left the room.

Neji arched an eyebrow at Tenten when she remained on the floor, "Well, are you coming?"

"Yes, your highness," she muttered, unable to keep the sarcasm from her tone, stifling the giggles that wanted to escape at his affronted expression.

It was a beautiful day; the worst of the cold-front that had hit in the first few weeks of the year had dissipated. The sun was shining brightly in a crystal blue sky, and though the air was cool, it was warm enough for the twins to enjoy a little sunshine, Tenten decided.

Neji led them quickly through the house and out into the gardens. Though the branches were bare, the grass brown and the flowers wilted, it was still in beautiful condition and Tenten enjoyed the fresh air as they walked towards the gazebo at the far end of the garden, each carrying a child. Haru gurgled into her ear, a happy exclamation of nonsense accompanying the sound, and Tenten pressed a kiss to his downy head. They would talk any day now, she was sure of it – she'd even begun teaching them the words for objects. If she read them a story she'd point at aspects of the pictures and slowly enunciate each syllable of the word, and she was sure they understood her.

The table had been laid already, two high-chairs placed in readiness. The mashed carrots the twins loved so much had been served into little plastic bowls for each of them, the matching plastic spoons laid within easy reach for a small hand. Tenten couldn't keep her wince suppressed; the twins tried, they honestly did, but most of the food still wound up in Tenten's hair and on the floor instead of in their mouths.

Neji placed Himiko into her high-chair, deftly maneuvering the spoon out of reach of her grasping fingers. Tenten smiled at the sight of her daughter's brows contracting into a scowl as she protested at the top of her lungs, and banged her hand onto the tray. Father and daughter glared at each other with nearly identical frowns and Tenten couldn't keep the laugh from escaping as she placed Haru into the chair next to his sister.

As soon as the twins were settled safely into their seats, Tenten turned to Neji surprised to see the veins around his eyes in prominence as he swiftly scanned their surroundings.

"What was that for?" she asked, her voice trailing away into a surprised squeal when Neji deactivated the Byakugan and quickly yanked her closer. Without being told, Tenten released the jutsu and through the smoke she sensed Neji's head angling, his hands tightening their hold on her hip and her nape. Her eyes drifted closed as their lips met and the smoke that wreathed around them provided the illusion of isolation she needed to feel safe so she gave herself over to the intoxicating feeling. Her heart leapt in her chest, her knees buckling as she swayed instinctively closer, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly.

They broke apart, breathless, and the softer light in Neji's eyes had her blushing like a schoolgirl but before Tenten could really react to the embarrassment the sound of happy gurgles, wet splotches and small hands banging plastic against plastic broke through the haze.

"Oh, no," Tenten groaned, leaning her forehead against Neji's collarbone, a slight shiver chasing down her spine as his arms tightened around her and a laugh reverberated through his chest.

With a sigh she disentangled herself and turned to face the twins, her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. They stared innocently back at her, both covered in mashed carrots, clearly having shared the spoon she'd forgotten to push out of Haru's reach.

Silence descended as the twins grinned up at her, she could feel the amusement radiating off Neji at her back and Tenten decided to give up before she lost. With a slight smile she reached for a napkin laid out on the table and grabbed one of Haru's flailing fists, prying the small fingers apart so she could wipe the mashed carrots away. Neji stepped away with a slight sigh and Tenten ducked her head to hide the happy smile as he followed suit and began to pry the carrot-covered spoon out of Himiko's grip.

* * *

The afternoon slowly wore away into evening. Darkness fell much quicker at this time of year but Tenten wasn't complaining, sometimes the twins reminded her of baby birds: the moment the sun set they started yawning.

Haru and Himiko were seated in the play-pen in the corner of the room. They'd both begun to stand, trying to take tottering steps forward only to fall flat on their behinds before succeeding, but Tenten wasn't taking any chances. As it was they were much too quick when crawling. She slowly set about gathering the baby soap, shampoo, the wash-cloths … everything they would need for a bath. She'd merely wiped the worst of the sticky carrot mess away earlier but both were in need of a proper wash.

She'd just placed the last item in readiness when a soft knock and the sound of the door sliding open alerted her to the presence of others and she quickly wiped the smile off her face as she turned to face Hanabi and Hinata. Lately Hanabi had taken to helping her bathe the twins, for which she was grateful, the first time Neji had helped he'd wound up being soaked from head to foot and now he disappeared around bath-time only to reappear once the twins were washed and ready for bed.

Hanabi nodded curtly to Tenten, who suppressed another smile at the slight flush on the younger girl's cheeks, and held out her hand for the basket containing the items Tenten had carefully selected moments before. With a slight bow Tenten handed them over to Hanabi, sharing a slight smile with Hinata as they walked to the play-pen, each ready to carry a baby to the baths.

Tenten bent down at the waist, arms ready to pick Haru up when Himiko suddenly waved her arms violently in the air over her head. Tears brimmed in the pearly eyes and though her voice was pitched to a wail the word she uttered was clearly distinguishable to all in the room.

"Mama!"

Hinata froze next to Tenten, who had gone still as a statue, and when Tenten had gathered her courage sufficiently to glance at the Hyuuga girl she was staring down at Himiko with something like pity in her eyes.

"I think she wants you to carry her," Hinata said softly, trailing a gentle hand over Himiko's head, "poor thing. Well, it only makes sense that they'd identify with you as a mother figure. You take care of them, after all."

Quickly bending to pick Himiko up, Tenten mumbled what she hoped was a suitable reply. She hugged the little girl close, tears filling her eyes, as the little head came to rest on her shoulder. Turning to the door, Tenten was so caught up in her thoughts, so excited to tell Neji, so relieved that the slip-up had been easily explained and accepted by Hinata, that she never noticed the carefully calculating look the younger Hyuuga girl leveled at her retreating back.

Hanabi slowly followed after her sister and the nanny, a frown on her face.

_First the note; someone planning something, hiding something, and someone else being onto whatever the plan is … and now … this?_

* * *

Neji knocked carefully on the door, awaiting the signal to enter with bated breath. He hadn't seen his uncle in nearly a week. A week ago Hiashi had handed him a heavy scroll, filled with tasks and duties that needed to be completed and told him to return once the list was done. No one had seen the clan head since, aside from the servants that brought him his meals; though Neji's contacts on the household staff told him that his uncle ate sparingly, instead choosing to burn through the sake supply of the compound.

Since his grandfather's funeral his uncle had been … different. Older. More care-worn, somehow. And Neji didn't think that it was only grief at his father's passing that made Hiashi lock himself away. The council was beginning to get restless. Weeks had passed since Hiashi's decision to include his daughters on the council. Their instatement had taken place in resentful silence on the part of some of the older members but most of them were resigned to the status quo by now. However, no further council meetings had been called and the clan head was conspicuous only in his absence. Neji had been commanded to demand that his uncle stop playing the recluse and start taking an interest in clan affairs again. He wasn't trying too hard, of course. He needed this time; it had been heaven-sent in fact. The longer his uncle remained out of sight the more time Neji had to prove himself to the clan, the more people he convinced to support him. Slight pangs of pity accompanied the traitorous thoughts but, the fact was, Hiashi was playing right into Neji's hands.

There still hadn't been even the slightest sound from inside so Neji sighed and slid the carefully prepared note under the door. If his uncle wouldn't see him in private, then he had no choice but to say the difficult things that needed to be said in public.

Neji turned and quickly walked off – relieved that he hadn't been required to face his uncle after all, and firmly pushed all thoughts of clans and councils away as he focused on his family. They should just be finishing up with the bathing – something he was thankful to miss – and he quickly strode off into the direction of the nursery.

The corridors were quiet; in the cold winter months most people, servants included, retired early, the call of warm beds and fireplaces keeping them from more social activities. But tonight Neji was glad for it – it meant their time wouldn't be interrupted; Tenten could release the jutsu. He would never admit it, but Hyuuga eyes carrying Tenten-like expressions unnerved him.

Only the nightlight was burning when Neji slowly let himself into the children's room; their even breathing audible even over the tinkling sounds of the mobiles hanging over their cribs. He paused to touch each of their cheeks, staring at them for a moment, incredulous, as always, that he'd had anything to do with the creation of creatures so innocent and beautiful, before he turned to Tenten's door.

It was ajar, light shining softly from inside, and he could hear her humming as she moved around the room. The humming stopped when he pushed the door open slowly and leaned a shoulder against the jamb, awaiting her invitation before entering. Sometimes their current situation amused him to no end. He knew her, knew every mood, every thought, every inch of skin and yet the wary truce consigned them to awkward formality in the place of easy intimacy.

She'd already released the jutsu, her hair was wet, hanging in dark, dripping locks down her back but she smiled brilliantly at him and Neji couldn't help but return the smile with one of his own. In that lithe, Tenten way, she danced closer, grabbed his hand and drew him inside, closing the door carefully after him. She whirled away to turn on the baby monitor and beckoned him excitedly closer the moment the tasks had been completed.

Curiously Neji walked toward her, leaned his head down as she reached up and angled his head to better hear the whisper.

"Himiko said 'mama'.'

Neji drew back in surprise, eyes widening, suppressing the quick flash of jealousy the short sentence had brought and waited for Tenten to elaborate.

"Hinata and Hanabi were with us at the time," she continued in a normal tone of voice as she moved around the room, picking up her brush, "but Hinata quickly chalked it up to me taking care of them, so it shouldn't be a problem."

She looked so radiantly happy, so child-like in her excitement, that Neji chose not to dwell on that troubling piece of news right at the moment.

"That's good," he murmured instead, sinking down onto the bed, leaning his head back against the headboard as he watched Tenten brush her hair, talking a mile a minute about the twins and their day. He let her continue until her hair was done, curling damply from all the brushing, before he interrupted.

"And you?"

Her hand faltered in the act of reaching for her hair-ties and Tenten stared at him in the mirror, confusion darkening her chocolate eyes to obsidian depths.

"I-I … what do you mean?" she asked finally, withdrawing her hand and placing it carefully in her lap.

"You've told me what you've done, now tell me how you feel," came the calm rejoinder as Neji propped himself up on his elbows, staring intently at her through the reflection.

"I-I … I'm … happy," Tenten finally replied, looking at her own reflection in surprise.

"Hn." The sound was filled with satisfaction even as Tenten rolled her eyes and glared reproachfully at him.

"We talked about this, Neji," she said, exasperatedly, "that non-word could have a negative effect on the twins' vocabulary-″

The sentence was cut off abruptly as she caught sight of the amused smirk pulling at his lips and Tenten whirled around. Moving quickly, she grabbed a pillow off the bed and knelt next to him. Before Neji had a chance to roll away she hit him over the head with the pillow, twice in quick succession. She raised her arms for the next hit, a teasing light shining in her eyes, a smile pulling at her mouth but before she could aim the pillow properly, Neji swept an arm beneath her legs, lifting her slightly before dumping her on her back and wrestling the pillow away. She kicked and squirmed and, in retaliation, Neji trailed his fingertips firmly down her ribs, hitting all the ticklish spots with perfect accuracy. Tenten struggled against his hold, breathless giggles falling from her mouth, as her body turned boneless under the assault, until finally she begged him to stop.

"No! Stop, Neji! No, I'm … sorry, I'm sorry!"

The laughter faded away into panted breaths as she stared up at him and Neji couldn't have stopped himself if he tried. Slowly, giving her ample opportunity to move away if she so chose, he lifted a hand and tucked the strands of mussed hair behind her ear, his hand cupping her cheek as he leaned down and carefully pressed his lips against hers.

For one bated breath he thought it might have been too much, too soon, the setting too intimate for her, but then she sighed and opened her mouth, the breath falling sweetly onto his lips. Immediately taking advantage of the moment, Neji trailed his tongue slowly along her lower lip and when hers touched it gently he allowed the kiss to deepen, thankful that she hadn't drawn away. Quickly stolen kisses late at night weren't good enough anymore. He ached to feel her this way, the length of her body pressed tightly against him as she wound her arms around his neck and buried her hands into his hair…

The very small fraction of control he possessed, when with Tenten like this, evaporated under the onslaught of the kiss. He broke away, panting, trying his utmost to gather his thoughts; trying not to scare her away by pushing too much before the time was right. But her mouth immediately went to his neck, her tongue tracing patterns on his skin. She reached the hollow of his throat where she spent a while sucking slowly, until Neji found he couldn't think at all anymore. His eyes drifted shut almost against his volition as he gave himself over to her touch. Her fingers trailed up under his shirt, persuasive against his back, as she pressed heated kisses onto his shoulder, moving the fabric of his shirt away as far as the neckline would allow.

Her hands pushed insistently at his shoulders and he followed her lead without thought, allowing her to move him up and over, so he was lying on his back. Somehow his shirt had gotten lost in the process but Neji didn't have any thoughts to spare on something so inconsequential; not when Tenten was trailing wet kisses down his chest, fingers following in her wake as every cell in his body responded to the caress. At the back of his mind a voice whispered that this couldn't be right; they hadn't resolved all the issues yet, surely it was a bit premature … but it had been too long and he missed her too much … her tongue traced aimless patterns over his abdominal muscles and with a soft groan Neji gave up and wound his hands into her still-damp hair, holding her head close to his body. Tenten steadily worked her way to the waistband of his pants and Neji allowed himself the luxury of simply feeling. He let his hands drift slow down her neck, over her back, pushing the robe from her shoulders and reveling in the smooth silk of her skin. She was so soft … so warm …

Minutes melted together until time became an irrelevant thing. There was only the touch of her hands and her tongue, the feel of her body sliding over his as she slowly lowered herself onto him. After the slow, soft caresses he was somehow, suddenly, inside of her and the little voice protested again; warned both of them against rushing things and making it worse. But the words remained unspoken; it was far too late for regret anyway. Tenten's hips rocked forward smoothly, her hair hanging down as she arched her back, a soft moan falling from her lips, and Neji was lost. It was all he could do to run reverent hands up and down her smooth skin until his fingers locked around her hips and the spiking pleasure washed over him in wave after numbing wave.

* * *

Neji took a deep breath before entering the council chambers the next morning. The languorous pleasure still rushed exultantly through his veins. It had been damn near impossible to get up out of Tenten's warm bed this morning. For the first time in months he'd had a good night's sleep. He was still awash in the happy glow that Tenten radiated and he had less than no desire for the feeling to evaporate.

But his uncle had responded much quicker than he thought and when Neji had returned to his bedroom to get dressed after a quick wash, a letter commanding his attendance at a council meeting – only the second of the year – had been awaiting him. Two more elders had resigned in the aftermath of Hinata and Hanabi's instatement, citing age as a reason for retirement and Neji had been forced to make his own placements when Hiashi hadn't responded to any of his notes. Thus they were five strong now, including him. Not enough for a majority – including Hiashi they were still up against six elders but their numbers were enough to get the job done. Neji had double and triple-checked the laws.

The atmosphere was somber when he entered the chamber. Only one other seat had yet to be filled. Neji slowly made his way to the top of the table, taking his seat on the clan head's right side with as much dignity as he could muster, and studiously avoided looking at his cousins. He'd barely taken his seat when the door banged open and Hiashi swept inside.

Neji's brows drew together in a frown – the only way he knew to express his shock at his uncle's appearance. Hiashi looked drawn, ill almost. He was painfully thin; dark circles beneath his eyes proclaimed many sleepless nights and his eyes were bloodshot; confirming the rumors of the clan head and his new-found liking for sake. Neji quickly forced his features into an expressionless mask. Hiashi clearly wasn't in a very good place right now and it wouldn't do to antagonize him from the word go.

Without much ceremony Hiashi called for the meeting to begin, and sat back with a blank look as elder after elder rose to reproachfully inform him of the minor matters they felt required the attention of the clan head. Neji gritted his teeth to keep from saying anything. The idiots were well aware that all the matters they were raising as 'urgent' had already been dealt with and didn't need the clan head's attention at all. Hiashi heard it all in silence, before turning to the younger faces at the table.

"I see I missed some truly revolutionary changes," he murmured dryly.

"Uncle, you were indisposed and the places needed to be filled," Neji returned smoothly, thankful when Hiashi let the subject drop and merely welcomed their new members. Despite their relative youth Hiashi could not find fault with his choices. They were both men in their mid-thirties, both respected within the clan, both with common sense and the best interests of the clan at heart. And, Neji only needed Hiashi to approve of his choices for another few minutes, an hour at most. After that councils and appropriate members would be the least of his worries.

The meeting dragged on, one inconsequential matter after another raised and quickly dismissed or solved by Hiashi until at last, his uncle stood.

"I thank you all for coming. I trust that all problems have now been ironed out."

He turned to leave but before he'd even rounded his chair, Neji had stood as well.

Ignoring the uncomfortable pounding of his heart, the sick feeling of his stomach twisting in knots of guilt, Neji tried to focus on the feeling of waking up with Tenten wrapped around him for the first time in nearly a year. He tried his hardest to summon the good feelings and hold onto that. But that wasn't quite right either; he couldn't sully such a feeling with the betrayal he was hurtling towards so he gave up and allowed the blackness to cover his heart.

"We are not quite done yet, uncle," he nearly winced at his cold tone, tried not to notice the way Hanabi stiffened, the way Hinata twisted her fingers together or the expectant looks from 'his' council members.

Slowly Hiashi turned to face him, "You have something to add?"

Leaning forward Neji placed his fists on the polished teak table and aimed his words at the council; even the old ones wouldn't be able to deny this truth.

"For far too long Hyuuga has been at the mercy of disinterested leaders, more concerned with their personal affairs than the advancement of the clan," Neji closed his eyes, dropped his head, and took a deep breath before he uttered the words that would irrevocably seal his fate as a traitor.

"I call for a vote of no confidence in Hyuuga Hiashi."

* * *

_Present…_

Even the stillness of his bedroom was no friend. Neji kept hearing his own voice echoing; kept hearing the hateful words.

_I had no choice! What does honor mean if my children have servitude seared into their skulls?_

Desperately, Neji tried to find his composure. He hadn't had a choice – archaic clan ideals made that a given. But beneath the reassuring platitudes he repeated to himself he could still feel Tenten's gaze burning into his skin. The disdain had been clearly etched into every line of her face; and the self-loathing couldn't be contained any longer.

Neji threw himself onto his bed, an arm coming to rest over his eyes as if that way, he could pretend that the tears rolling slowly from beneath closed lids were merely a figment of his imagination; that all of this was merely a nightmare. He'd never really thought he'd go through with it. Until the last moment he'd still been hoping for another way, but reality didn't work like that. He'd been forced to sacrifice himself – his ideals, his happiness – on the altar of his children's future.

It shouldn't be possible – to hate the goddamned Hyuuga clan any more than he already did. But, in that moment, Neji discovered that he'd been wrong. Hiashi had been the closest thing to a father Neji had ever known. After his own father had died Hiashi could easily have ignored him, but his uncle had always been a presence in his life, driving him to become better, stronger. The clan had claimed his father, it had claimed his happiness and his family, it had claimed his self-respect and his honor and now, finally, it had claimed his uncle's high regard. With the brand of betrayal burning fervently in his mind, Neji vowed that he would destroy this clan and everything it stood for.

It was the only gift he could give to the man who raised him.

* * *

_**A/n: So…. What did you think? Please review and let me know!**_


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